The False Valediction
by blue-eyed-lullaby
Summary: Set after the Hueco Mundo Arc. Ichigo and Rukia have been changed by what happened when they fought Aizen.  Finally reunited after their adventure, what will become of their relationship?  [ichiruki]
1. Reflections

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, Tite Kubo does.

Author's notes: Please give me any suggestions or comments you can, and of course, enjoy The False Valediction!

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Rukia Kuchiki's eyes slowly opened to the sunlight streaming through the slightly open the shoji of her room. She delicately rubbed her eyes, trying to remember the dream that ended so suddenly. She couldn't remember most of it at all… but something about it bothered her. Ever since Ichigo had left Sereitei, things hadn't felt right. Orihime, Chad, Ishida…and Ichigo had all somberly left after the returning from Hueco Mundo victorious. She had been by their side, fighting desperately as they each clutched on to what shards of their life they had. Each sting of metal that broke their skin, each pang of powerful attacks that collided with their bodies, they had stood up against. Even as their spirits drained with each droplet of blood, they had left Hueco Mundo alive, a barren path of destruction behind them. It all seemed so heavy, even as they left. Despite the celebrations back in Soul Society, none of them had been able to accept the end of that chapter in their lives. They had each mastered their own façade, but struggled with the same question: When can you truly move on? As Rukia stared at the plush bunny that lay limp against her arm, she remembered her last moments in Hueco Mundo. 

_ Her arms were heavy. Her legs shook, burdened by the rest of her shaky body as she stood trembling with her Zanpakuto, eyes fixed on her assailant. Blood dripped in her eyes, she drew each breath with __utter__ difficulty. Yet her eyes never parted from the narrow gaze of __Aizen__From the very first moment she laid eyes on the betraying captain, her blood curdled in hate. Yet he evaded every one of her attacks, retaliating with unspeakable power. __Lifting _Sode no Shirayuki, _her bloodstained zanpakuto toward his throat, she charged with all the spirit she had left in her soul. __Aizen's__ smirking lips left her line of sight as she flew yards away from where he stood. _

_ Everything around her had a strange tinge of red from the dark hue of the blood in her eyes. She gripped _Sode no Sirayuki_, but could not lift her arm. Her shinigami uniform was ragged, and a dark red began to soak the cloth covering her abdomen. As the shadow of a figure approached her, she felt her own blood pool around her fingers, staining the white ribbon wound around her wrist._

_"NO! __RUKIA!"_

_It was Ichigo's voice… the words had come out with such a fierce growl, she trembled on the cold floor._

_"__Damnit__, Rukia. You can't do this to me.__Damnit__, you idiot!__"__ She felt his hand grab her wrist, and slide her bloody hand to the side of his face. Wet __tear __droplets stung her cheeks as she watched the stoic shadowed face of Ichigo above her. His eyes were pleading her. She couldn't leave him._

_"__Ru__…__ki__….a…"_

That had been nearly a month ago. She had awoken in the care of the fourth squad, to her brother Byakuya's somber gaze. Everyone's faces had instantly lightened; Ishida and Chad smiled from across the bed at her, Renji smirked as Orihime beamed. Only Ichigo sat in the corner of the room, his gaze fixed on the shoji doors, stern and mysterious.

She never understood why he didn't say goodbye. The lack of words had haunted her since he had parted Soul Society. She had called his name as the doors shut, to receive the silent stare of his deep golden eyes._"Why should I care?" _Rukia thought. _"It's just Ichigo."_ Squinting against the line of sunlight from the shoji, she lifted herself up to prepare for her routine formal breakfast with Byakuya. Her heart panged with a sharp pain as she stood.

Ichigo was to return today.

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Ichigo swept his books of his desk with a deep furrowed brow and the same distant look he had worn since he had left Hueco Mundo. He managed to smile at Orihime, nodding at Chad and Ishida as he walked with them out the classroom door. His month in the human world was over. He would now shed all of his duties here to train in Soul Society. Then in a month, he would return.

"Kurosaki-kun, isn't today when you head back to Sereitei?" Orihime questioned with a small pout.

"Yeah," muttered Ichigo, a small smirk on his lips. "Gonna miss me?" She slipped her arm around his and squeezed him.

"Of course!" beamed Orihime. Ichigo sweatdropped.

Ishida laughed. "Just don't get too hot-headed during your training at the Academy. They won't put up with your complaining as much as we do." He adjusted his glasses with a grin on his face.

"WHAT?!" Ichigo scowled. "I AM NOT that hot headed!"

Orihime giggled. "You are sometimes, Kurosaki-kun."

A small laugh spread over the group, and Ichigo muttered incoherent babblings as they walked out of the high school and into the slightly sticky summer air. They all had returned from fighting just in time for school to start, so the weather was still hot. Chad pulled at his shirt uncomfortably. "We can always help you get ready. We don't have anything that important to do."

"I think I'll be fine," Ichigo answered confidently.

"Until you get there," mocked Ishida.

"HEY!"

"He's only kidding you, Kurosaki-kun!"

Orihime looked brightly up into his eyes, clutching a small fistful of his shirtsleeve. Ichigo laughed nervously, and lightly brushed her off. "Right, right…" he mumbled. Chad motioned toward his watch. "You should hurry. Urahara is probably waiting." Ichigo nodded, and slipped his book bag over his shoulder. "Well then, don't do anything stupid until I get back." The three companions nodded, and watched as he ran toward Urahara's candy shop.

Orihime waved after him, a sad smile spreading across her flushed cheeks. She hated to see him go, but she knew part of him belonged in Soul Society. Ishida, noticing the sadness in her smile, tugged her wrist. "It's okay, let's go."

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Ichigo reached Urahara's shop rather quickly. He was anxious to get to Soul Society, but not to face what he had left unanswered. He was to begin learning kido at the Academy and attend the necessary classes to become a full shinigami. He would also train extensively with each of the 13 squad captains, who each had a different lesson for him to master. He also would be deeply focused on learning to control and maintain his inner hollow under the observation of the twelfth squad. They would be doing extensive research on his abilities in order to understand the Vizards. However, Ichigo did not mind any of those things. He eagerly awaited his rigorous schedule. What he dreaded was Rukia Kuchiki's eyes.

Just one month ago, he watched her fall. As he and his friends took on Aizen, he watched each of them take their own fall. The sound of each body hitting the cold floor was enough to make him insane. But watching Rukia fly across the room as Aizen simply kicked her aside was more than he could take. Just thinking about it sent an eerie chill over his hot skin.

_ His hollow mask __sheltered the left side of his face and his yellow eyes glared at his target. His flash steps easily outdid any __shunpo__Aizen__ could try, and his last fierce cry, "GETSUGA TENSHOU!" had finally connected with __Aizen's__ traitorous flesh. He stood across the room, __Zangetsu__ hungrily lunged toward __Aizen__, longing for the clash of steel, for the tear of slicing through the black fabric of __Aizen's__ kimono, and most of all, more contact with his enemy's flesh. With the scattered bodies of his friends around him, he had to protect. __Aizen__cooly__ smiled at Ichigo, and turned away. "That bastard," he thought, "I am his enemy!" That's when he noticed the __white, blood-__stained ribbon of __Rukia's__ zanpakuto__ flying behind her torn uniform. Quicker than the small, dark-haired girl could anticipate, __Aizen__shunpo'd__ and drew his zanpakuto against her abdomen. He kicked her away with a wry grin on his face, sending her flying through the air._

_"NO! __RUKIA!"_

_He screamed another attack, yelling with as much pain as bestial vigor. It was enough to b__u__y time, to run to her side, to see if Rukia was okay…_

_ When he reached her side blood had already begun to pool around her. Ichigo dropped to the floor beside her, his stomach wrenching inside of him. __His mask shattered apart as a cold realization came over him. __H__e had__ failed __her,__ he couldn't protect her…again. "__Damnit__, Rukia!" Tears uncontrollably poured down toward the fading gaze of her cerulean eyes. He couldn't let himself lose her, __no,__ he couldn't lose her at all. He couldn't take it._

_"__Ru__…__ki__…a…."_

_ He glared at __Aizen__ who laughed across the room. And as he left her on the floor, he swore he wouldn't let __Aizen__ laugh aga__in __at the blue eyed Rukia who __lay__ on the__ floor behind his panting body. He would protect her soul, and the souls that lay dying around her. Flash stepping forward with guilt and rage pounding his heart, a warlike cry growled from his chest as __Zangetsu__ flickered toward the greatest opponent he would ever face._

Shaking his head, Ichigo looked to the candy shop ahead. _"Things are fine," _he reassured himself. _He had beaten __Aizen__, and somehow gotten __Orihime__ to heal each of his companions enough __for them __to get out on their own. The only one he carried was Rukia, while __Orihime's__'__Soten__Kisshun__'__cast a healing yellow glow over her limp figure._ Ichigo shook his head again. He couldn't worry anymore. Rukia was most likely completely healed by now, and as long as he kept her away from him, away from danger, nothing like that would ever happen again. Not as long as he could help it.

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Well, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Please let me know how I'm doing and how you like the story. Criticism is welcome!

A preview for the next chapter will come soon! Comments puh-leeeeeeeeeeeze! begs


	2. Crossing Paths

Sorry about this chapter getting deleted before... yikes. Thanks to Jeschura for letting me know!!!

Chapter two!!! Enjoy. Comments please. I wanna know how I'm doing!!

Disclaimer: Bleach characters by Tite Kubo.

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Rukia sat at the opposite end of a long table with her half-eaten breakfast in front of her. She played with her food, anxious to finish. Byakuya set his chopsticks to the side of his bowl and took a small sip of tea. He lowered his glass with a deadpan face, speaking with the same lack of emotion.

"What's wrong?"

"Hm?" Rukia snapped to attention at her brother's dry voice.

"I asked what's wrong."

"Oh…"

He stared at her from across the table, half expecting her to finally talk to him. But his sister merely squirmed in her seat, eyes darting away from him. "Hmph," he snapped. "That was an invitation for you to talk."

"I…I'm sorry. Yes, Nii-sama." Rukia glided over the words with extreme formality. It was odd that her brother had expressed any concern in her mood at all. "I don't know. Nightmares, I guess."

Without changing his expression, Byakuya nodded. He would have to set things straight for Rukia. Even if she had no idea what was going on, he did. His cold personality did not keep him from watching over the dark haired girl that had been entrusted into his care long ago. "Rukia, look me in the eye. Listen to me, and then you can leave the table." Rukia nodded. Byakuya cleared his throat. "Your nightmares are your inability to cope, Rukia. Forget the darkness you left behind; use your survival as a method to become stronger. You'll begin training, slowly overcome that which pains you, and grow. Just like your friends…and Ichigo."

Rukia turned pink, noting how he had stressed Ichigo's name considerably._"What is he trying to prove? Ichigo was just who happened to save me in Hueco Mundo. I'm only upset because he wouldn't look at me anymore. We're just friends. But are we still?" _

"Rukia?"

"Yes, Nii-sama?"

"I wouldn't let whatever emotional issues you have cloud your training or duties to your squad."

"I'm not going to let some idiot distract me from my skill with a katana." Rukia pouted.

"So you admit, he's been in your thoughts?" Rukia scowled. _"Since when did he care? And what is he accusing me of? It's not like I'm in love with Ichigo."_

Byakuya sighed. "Refusing to answer…I see. You may have whatever thoughts about Ichigo now while he's finishing his month in the real world. But I can guarantee you will despise his very being as much as you used to by the time he gets here. Just be careful about what it leads to." For the first time in her life, Rukia saw a small smile grace her brother's face. "You'll be bickering about nonsense before anyone can greet him."

Rukia smiled and excused herself from the table. She didn't care when or how Ichigo arrived, and didn't really want to be there, pathetically waiting for his gorgeous golden eyes to meet hers. Looking in the mirror, she furrowed her brow. "_Hope you missed me, Kurosaki. You're still an inexperienced fool I could easily teach a harsh lesson to. " _She inwardly smiled, and began to get herself ready for her afternoon training. She suddenly felt like herself again.

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With the help of Urahara, Ichigo was on his way to Sereitei. Urahara had opened a portal in the large hidden room beneath the trap door of his shop. Urahara laughed as Ichigo sauntered through the portal, zanpakuto carefully wrapped on his back. "Rukia is going to give him hell when he gets there." Jinta and Ururu snickered beside him.

Ichigo arrived on the other side to find many of the captains and his friends waiting for him. Ikkaku and Yumichika stood with Renji at the front of the small crowd, each smiling. Matsumoto and her captain Hitsugaya were to the left, each wearing their typical uniform. The rest of the captains and their lieutenants were scattered through the crowd. Matsumoto squeaked and was the first to run up and hug him.

"Kuro-SAKI!" she squealed, nearly suffocating him with her large chest.

Ichigo chuckled awkwardly and a bead of sweat ran down his head. "Oi, hey everyone."

Yumichika approached him with slightly abnormal finesse. "Hm. Still such a disgruntled face with such beautiful hair." Ikkaku laughed. "You still strong there, Ichigo? I can't imagine you having any muscle looking like such a runt." The sun glinted off his bald head as he smiled with menace.

"I am not a runt!" Ichigo defended, punching Ikkaku lightly on the shoulder. Both laughed. Renji smacked him on the back rather harshly. "Hey there, Ichigo. Ready to get your ass kicked?"

"Haha, you wish, Renji!" Ichigo's voice had a slight sting of challenge. He had missed his friend a lot. Back in the living world, he had nobody to challenge him. At least here, there would be a decent fight every once in a while. His eyes glinted with an excitement that had been lost for quite a long time. He lowered his bags as Byakuya approached him. _"Byakuya Kuchiki…Regal as ever," _he thought.

"Hmph. Kurosaki Ichigo?" Ichigo nodded. "You will be shown to your quarters once they are ready. Renji will take care of that. As for you, this day is for adjustments, so use your time wisely as your classes start in the morning and we will begin training tomorrow." His white haori swished behind him as he spun around and began to part his way through the crowd.

"Wait!" Ichigo called.

"What?" asked Byakuya flatly.

"Where's Rukia?" Despite the warm welcoming everyone had given, he felt disappointed Rukia wasn't there. _"I thought she'd be here, but I guess you can't ever figure a girl like that out."_

"She's training."

"Oh."

Ichigo shrugged, and Byakuya walked away. He only shrugged to show he didn't care, but a part of him truly did. "_The way she looked at me when I left, I can still hear her calling my name. Wait, why do I care? No one said she had to be here. It's not like I need her. I never have before!"_ Ichigo tried to maintain his composure, and looked for an escape from his troubled thoughts. Grinning mischievously at Renji, he found his getaway. "Bet I could tear you apart, friend."

"You bet wrong, buddy. I've been training while you've been sitting on your ass for the last month. I'll always be ahead! Every month you're there… I'm here getting stronger without you."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "Stronger? Than ME? HA! Keep wishing. You're only beginning to see a slight possibility of catching up. "

Renji's eyes lit up in challenging defiance. "Oh, YOU'RE ON!"

Ichigo flashed a devilish grin and shunpo'd directly to the training fields, Renji in close pursuit. The wind combed through his fiery orange hair and brushed his cheeks. "_It's good to be back."_

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"Heee-YAH!"

Rukia landed swiftly on the floor as her zanpakuto sliced through the last of the three dummy hollows that had been placed in front of her. She had been training intensely for several hours, and was eager to welcome a small break. All the dummy hollows she had slain were starting to sap her energy. Wiping the sweat off her brow onto her sleeve, she gazed out across the training fields where two shinigami were actively fighting. Squinting against the sunlight, the two shinigami's identities became apparent. The fiery colored hair each possessed made it too obvious. The spiky orange haired boy had just dodged the slice of the red haired ponytail boy's zanpakuto. Rukia grinned."I should have known they'd be fighting already."

It suddenly dawned on her that Ichigo was standing in her presence for the first time since he'd left. The memory of his golden eyes slipping behind the shoji's overwhelmed her body with emotions. Her eyes grew wide as her body temperature rose. The wind blew across her open neck and her hair flicked against her cheek. A prickly feeling rose on her skin as she stared at the dancing figure of Kurosaki Ichigo. She couldn't help but wonder if he had noticed her training in the field. His body moved so naturally, as if he were born to protect and fight. For a moment she wished he'd always be there, dancing against death, fighting, protecting, for_her_…

_SCREEEEECH._

A horrible scream erupted through the air. Without a flinch, Rukia somersaulted backwards, sending a bolt of white lightening straight from where the sound came from. She landed inches from the dummy hollow and stabbed Sode no Shirayuki behind her into its porcelain face, piercing through its mask with unrelenting strength.

"Damn, forgot about the fourth one…" she muttered. She flushed a deep red, knowing Ichigo very well could have seen her.

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"Haha, you missed!"

"Don't let your guard down so fast, Ichigo!"

"Why don't you eat your own advice, Renji."

"Wha…AH!"

Ichigo stood behind Renji, eyes boring into his friend's now bleeding back. He had been able to quickly dodge Renji's attack and shunpo directly behind him and put a small gash in his left shoulder. "You've already underestimated my speed."

"YOU CUT THROUGH ONE OF MY TATTOOS!"

"Heh. Guess I did."

The two had been fighting for around a half an hour, each covered in small bruises and the occasional scratch. Ichigo had just been the first to get a true blow on his target. He smiled knowing his skills hadn't been dampened by lack of practice in the past month. Renji was throwing a small fit a few yards away, desperately trying to get a peek at the damage to one of the black tattoos on his back.

"If there is a scar across this thing, I'll kill y—"

A screech from across the field cut Renji off. Ichigo spun around quickly, zanpakuto gripped in his right hand. His eyes grew wide as he watched the shinigami in the distance take out the dummy hollow with incredible ease, even though it had taken them off guard. They were obviously incredibly advanced in kido, and had nothing to fear in skill with a katana. "Who is _that?_"

Renji laughed. "It's Rukia, stupid."

Ichigo was taken aback. He had completely forgotten she was out here training too. His eyes widened, noticing the raven hair blowing behind her… the soft ribbon of her zanpakuto whipping behind her in the wind. She rose slowly, and sheathed it gently . Her composure was incredible for having been surprised. _"She had been looking over here when the hollow screamed…__Wait, looking at me! Why?!"_

"Hey, Ichigo! You dumb space cadet. You act like you've never seen her before."

"Oh! Uh…nope. I, uh... _have_ seen her... uh... before."

Renji smacked Ichigo on the back of the head. "No kidding? I had no idea, stupid. C'mon, let's go over and say hi." Before Ichigo could say a word, Renji had already kicked his legs out from underneath him and grabbed him by the collar of his shinigami outfit.

"Hey, Rukia!"

"Oh, Renji! Hi!"

Rukia turned around to see Renji standing a couple yards away, Ichigo scrambling to get up and dust himself off. She laughed inwardly, as she had never seen Ichigo so frantic.

"Looks like you're training hard there, pipsqueak."

"I am."

"Looked like it. Although you had a bit of a surprise with the last one, didn't you?"

"Hmph. I was fine. Just was a bit distracted."

Renji laughed. "Distracted by what? My skills across the field?"

"What skills? She probably was looking at me, if anyone." piped Ichigo, sporting a wry grin.

Rukia tried not to blush and snapped her eyes to Ichigo with a look of disgust. "I wasn't looking at either of you. Especially you, Ichigo. You're just an idiot with an uncontrollable reiatsu and a big sword."

Ichigo's jaw dropped. He had not expected such a fiery insult. It had always been fun to be cocky around Rukia because she reacted so explosively. However that insult particularly stung with venom he hadn't heard in her voice before.

"Sheesh, Rukia. I was just kidding with you. Nice to see you too, idiot."

Rukia immediately softened her look. She hadn't meant to snap at him. "I'm sorry Ichigo. I didn't mean it."

Ichigo smiled at her. "Eh, it's okay. You're just jealous I could kick your ass."

"WHAT?!"

Rukia lunged at him, knocking him over and sending the two somersaulting across the field. She landed on top of him, and held the collar of his uniform down to the dusty ground.

"Why you little…"

"I am NOT little!"

Ichigo threw her over his head, landing on top of her and pinning her wrists down above her head. Rukia smiled devilishly. "You know, Kurosaki-kun, they say that a big sword like that is compensating for something else." She kneed him roughly in the abdomen, and made her way on top as he rolled off her to the side. Ichigo still had a good grip on her wrists, but his cheeks had turned slightly pink.

"Somebody's been thinking of me in ways I didn't imagine." Ichigo held tight as she struggled above him.

Rukia's cheeks reddened. "You wish, Ichigo."

"_Do_ I?"

He glared upwardly with a piercing gaze that made Rukia's eyes water. She remained stoic, and fired an icy stare back. Flexing her hands so both palms overlapped and faced her captor, Rukia began to yell a kido attack.

"Way of Destruction 33: Blue Fire, Crash Do-"

Before she could finish, Ichigo sprung her off of him, barely able to shunpo out of the way before the surge of energy released from her hands. Landing just inches behind her; he easily pulled her arms back and held them fast in place. He leaned forward, his lips mere millimeters from her cheek. He smiled and whispered delicately.

"Do you really want to get rid of me already, Rukia?"

Releasing her quickly, he turned the opposite direction and walked the other way. She winced and rubbed her arms, not caring to turn around and watch him walk. Ichigo paced toward Renji, shooting his gaze toward the ground. Renji's jaw dropped. Did he just see that happen?

"What the hell was that?"

Ichigo grunted something incoherent.

"No, what the hell _was_ that?"

Ichigo stopped walking and turned toward his friend. For a moment, the two stood, eye to eye, shoulder to shoulder, locked in some strange sort of silent conversation. Rukia turned to see what looked like a staring contest. Ichigo was the first to break the silence.

"I don't know." Ichigo lowered his eyes and proudly walked toward the Grand Shrine where he had left his bags. Renji sighed.

"Well, some hell of a hello you two had. You alright there, Rukia?"

Rukia nodded silently, eyes fixed on Ichigo despite the pain in watching him walk away. Again. "_I have no idea what just happened. Guess the idiot really is no different. And to think I'd been so worried about such a jerk."_ Rukia thought deeply as her eyes watered even more. _"Damnit, Ichigo. Damnit."_

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Okay, I have no idea how chapter 3 replaced this one, but it's back!!! Keep reading, it's lots of fun!! Comments are loved as always.

Oh, and the chapters get longer as you go... I promise!


	3. Connections

Disclaimer: I still don't own Bleach, even if I wish I did! sigh Tite Kubo does.

Well, here you are! Chapter 3! Enjoy and definitely keep letting me know how I'm doing. (I'll take whatever comments I can get )

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Ichigo threw his bags on the bed in the corner, still bothered by what had happened on the field. Renji had left him to his dorm at the Academy, which thankfully, he didn't share a roommate with. It was slightly smaller than his room back at home, but he didn't mind. It was a place to sleep in between training. There was a bed in the left corner, a small window just a couple feet to the right. His desk was right beneath the window, and he sunk into the small wooden chair in front of it. A small closet lined the far right wall, and aside from the door, the back wall space was taken up by the armoire and its faded mirror. It was plain, but Ichigo liked it that way. He had a nice view of the courtyard out his window, where other students of the academy quickly rushed through to get to their next class. His blue and white uniform lay across his bed, untouched. He was supposed to make sure it fit, but he didn't quite want to settle in yet. Before he could unpack, before he could truly accept his stay here, he had to deal with the conflicting thoughts in his mind. 

Part of him knew he should be here. He was very aware of his incredible amount of power. Rukia had been right though, he couldn't control his reiatsu at all. It had nearly been the end of him when fighting Grimmjow, it was only his hollow side that saved him. Yet even that power had a time limit. He pounded his fist on the desk. Why was Rukia always right? She was the one that had brought him into this world in the first place… to take her powers, become her rescuer, then fight alongside her, to be here and become a full shinigami _in her world_. She had taken her own zanpakuto and driven it into his heart. He knew his world had never been the same, nor would it ever be. His previous life had been completely reformed by a small dark-haired girl, who now drove him absolutely crazy. Yet there was nothing about his life he ever wished to be different. A small smile spread across his face.

_KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK._

Ichigo turned toward the open door to find a slim, blond-haired girl leaning against his doorframe cooly with a smirk on her face. Her layered strands of blond hair framed her pale face well, while a few wisps of unruly bangs fell across one of her eyes. Her eyes were a dark sparkling blue that had a penetrating gaze fixed on Ichigo. Her cheeks had a peach flush to them, a natural glow that illuminated her face. She wore the Academy uniform, toying with the red obi sash that tied around her red hakama. Her white sleeves were a little too long, but graced her slender arms well. Her lips were slightly parted, a shiny dark pink Ichigo couldn't help but notice. Her back sank into the doorframe, and she tilted her mouth toward him. He raised an eyebrow, unable to speak.

"Hey there. I'm Mei. You must be Kurosaki Ichigo."

"What are you doing here? How do you know who I am?"

"Well, the orange hair gave it away, and the fact that nearly everyone here knows who you are. Oh, and I live in this building."

"I thought this was an all guys dorm."

"You must not have seen the girl's side then. Each gender has their own hall on their floor."

"I see."

"Well, I'm coming in."

"Uh, okay. I haven't unpacked anything, though."

She smiled playfully and shrugged. "I will help you with anything. I'm sure you're still adjusting to this whole place anyway. Not that you aren't acquainted with being a shinigami, I just been told the living world is so _different_."

"Yeah, the place is different, but I'm almost fully adjusted. I've just had a rough start; a lot has been on my mind."

Mei pouted her pink lips and slowly strutted over to where Kurosaki sat. He gulped audibly. She had very alluring qualities about her that Ichigo could not ignore, even if he wanted to. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "So… uh… what did you come over for?"

"To introduce myself, of course."

"Is_everyone_ going to be doing that?"

"Nah, you're probably more likely to see skittering groups of giggling girls in packs passing you in the halls."

"Why? I'm just another guy here at the Academy."

"Kurosaki Ichigo, you're not just another male student. You're a _human_ guy who fights on the level of a _captain._ You took out Aizen on your own, and went through incredulous pain just to protect Rukia Kuchiki and the rest of your friends. That makes you both sensitive and extremely… well built." A smirk spread across her face again, showing no signs of pure intentions. Ichigo ignored her gaze.

"I grow stronger to protect the people I love. That's it."

"Aww… so sensitive. I could easily picture you being a sensual guy." She lightly traced a finger down his cheek to the edge of his shoulder. Ichigo's skin prickled. Her touch was so light, and yet he could still feel her fingertips pressing into his arm.

"I guess so." He shrugged her off, and she looked at him quizzically. "_Keep your cool,"_ he thought to himself._ "It's only your first day back."_

She shook off her quizzical look and grabbed his arm, pulling him out of his chair. "Here, I'll show you around the school." Only resisting slightly, Ichigo dazedly followed Mei out his bedroom door.

Within moments there were four other Academy students surrounding Mei as she walked determinedly down the hall, Ichigo's arm still tight in her grasp. The brush of her sandaled footsteps was matched exactly by each student, hands behind their backs, diligently following. Ichigo looked at her confused. "My posse," she said without hesitation. "Akiko?"

"Hai!" A baby-faced auburn haired girl with pigtails briskly walked to Mei's side.

"Free up my area in the courtyard." Akiko nodded and walked down another hallway. "Souta."

"Hai." A muscular and handsome dark-haired male with deep eyes instantly appeared at her side. He grudgingly looked at Mei.

"Secure a meeting with the Sensei in our sparring class Ichigo will be joining."

Souta began to nod and walk off, but Mei halted him instantly with the touch of her finger on his shoulder. "Make sure it gets done _this time._" Souta flashed a defiant eye but quickly nodded and walked away, obedient. Mei contendedly smiled and resumed her quick pace. Ichigo tried to keep up with her, eyes wide.

"Noa."

"Hai, Mei-sama?" The slender intellectual matched Mei's pace, just like the others. She hugged a small notebook to her chest and wore silver glasses. She didn't have the same formality as the two before, but adoringly hung on Mei's every word.

"Noa…Noa. What to do with you? Hmm…" Mei toyed with her pointer finger in her mouth, biting it slightly. "Pick up Kurosaki's uniforms and put them in his armoire. I already sized him to have a very likely fit to the uniform on his bed."

Ichigo stuttered. "What….what is….._that_ supposed to mean?"

"I could tell just by looking at you exactly what your build was. Your uniform should be a perfect fit, with a couple adjustments Noa will take care of." Mei winked at Noa, who nodded with a smile and bolted off the opposite direction.

"Adjustments?" Ichigo looked extremely confused.

"Mmm hmm." Mei's eyes twinkled, and Ichigo furrowed his brow. _Why does she love the fact that I'm confused? And why is she doing all this for me? These people just follow her around, waiting her beck and call? She better not make me one of those…things._ Ichigo's head swam with too many questions. Mei yanked his arm. "Keep up, slowpoke." Mei laughed, watching Ichigo furrow his brow into a rather disgruntled look of distrust. "Aww, be nice. Remember _you're_ the new pipsqueak here." Ichigo grumbled.

Mei looked straight forward again, calling the last of the trailing students. "Hikaru."

"Hai…" The last of the clan strode up to her side, a black-haired boy with light highlights, matching eyes and a distant face. His hair was short, but his bangs hung in his eyes. Somberness hung over his face like a thick mist.

"I didn't forget you. I just need you to clear the bumbling idiots of this hall out of my way. I'm sure you don't want them giggling idiotically around the local hero."

"Yes Mei-sama. I will do your bidding."

"Good. Now go."

Hikaru took his leave, but not before sadly looking back at Ichigo. Mei reassured him without compromising her determined gaze ahead. "No worries, he's just the jealous type."

"Uh, could you let go of my sleeve? I can walk on my own."

Mei giggled. "I'm sure you can, big boy." She playfully landed a solid punch to his shoulder, knocking him slightly off balance. "Come on, I have so much to show you."

Ichigo recovered his balance and followed her right turn into a separate hallway. He sighed audibly. Just what did he get himself into?

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Rukia paced outside Renji's office. "_What the hell is taking him so long with his paperwork?"_ She wanted to quiet the grumbling in her stomach as well as calm her impending anger toward Ichigo. Crossing her arms, she scuffed her feet along the wooden floor. "Kisama!" she barked. A nearby shinigami gave her an odd look. "He was supposed to be done ten minutes ago!" she whined. The shinigami shrugged and walked away, leaving Rukia even more annoyed.

When Renji finally shuffled outside of the 6th division, his face had a look of annoyance that rivaled Rukia. He rubbed his sore right arm and hand. "Man, you're brother likes to really lay on the paperwork. Sorry it took so long."

Rukia snarled and smacked Renji on the back of the head. "You should be, ass!"

"Ow! You still good for lunch?"

Rukia's stomach growled loudly. "What do you think? I'm starved from waiting for you."

"I said I was sorry!"

"Yeah, yeah. Excuses." Rukia teased with a small smile. Renji feigned a pout.

"It was a legit excuse."

The two walked side by side to a small restaurant just outside the barracks, dorms, classrooms, and training grounds within Soul Society. After each paying for their lunch at the counter, they sat across from each other at a small table in the corner. Rukia immediately shoveled a large amount of rice into her mouth.

"For a noble, your table manners aren't as becoming as you'd think." Renji pointed at her with one of his chopsticks and laughed. Veins in Rukia's forehead popped out slightly.

"Ahmhangwygammit!"

"…translation please?"

Rukia swallowed her mouthful and furrowed her brow. "I'm hungry dammit!"

Renji laughed. Even if Rukia had been accepted into a noble family while at the academy, she was still the same feisty midget she had always been. "Bet you don't eat like that in front of my captain."

"Of course not! But he's not here… and…ah, stop talking and let me eat!"

"Well, you're gonna have to stop eating eventually to talk."

"Hn?" Rukia looked from her bowl up to Renji with a large bite still in her mouth.

"You didn't just want lunch. I'm not as much of an idiot as Ichigo is. You did want to talk about him, right?"

Rukia swallowed hard. She mostly wanted to vent to Renji, her best friend, but part of her also wanted to just give Ichigo the solid beating he deserved and remain the composed person she always was about troubling things. She, after all, had been taught well by Byakuya to be an impenetrable fortress when she needed to be. Renji was one of the only people that could read beyond her façade. Even if she let her barriers down to Renji and let him know how the past month had been toying with her emotions, how would he react? She wasn't blind to his feelings. There was a connection between the two that ran deeper than friendship. Renji was as devoted to her as Ichigo used to be. "_Ichigo…the way he looked every time I got even a scratch. It's that protective look that sinks deep beyond that penetrating gaze of utmost concern. Damnit, why did he ever look at me that way? Those golden eyes…would only betray me later. Wait, betray? There was nothing there in the first place! Why do I even care?! This is ridiculous. Obsessing over simple worry, how childish."_

"God damn, Rukia. Helloooo?! What is with this spaced out look I've gotten from both of you today? Some disease you two caught?"

Rukia blushed. She had caught herself thinking about Ichigo again. "Sorry, didn't mean to drift off there."

"Well, what's the deal between you and Ichigo? You can't say your greeting was normal."

"Renji, I don't know if it's something I should talk about. I don't want to burden you with anything. Especially since Ni-sama is keeping you so busy."

"Rukia…" Renji sighed loudly. "You aren't gonna burden me with shit, so spit it out."

"Hn! Fine!" Rukia snapped. She then bit her lip, wondering what was the best method to begin the telling of such a complicated story.

"Why don't you start with Hueco Mundo." Renji seemed to have read her mind.

"Okay…"

Rukia explained what happened, almost getting lost in her own story. She didn't spare any details except Ichigo's tears. Rukia remembered the wet droplets hitting her face, but those tears were for her and her alone. Renji didn't have the right to know of that silent confession that had been given by Ichigo. She was surprised to find how much she cared about him at all after the rudeness of his greeting the other day. But she couldn't help it. Honor is honor.

Renji listened, obviously thinking. He had his own reservations about Ichigo's exact feelings about Rukia, but nothing had been as elucidating as her description. He had remembered when she'd woken up, and the wave of relief that had passed over his entire body. He had only smirked at her from across the bed, but he had inwardly grinned brightly. He couldn't imagine losing the one thing that had been constant in his life throughout all the chaos. Not to mention, once you'd gotten a hold of someone like that, you didn't let her go. "_Unless you're a dumbass,"_he thought. "_Like Ichigo. That prick just sat in a corner and spaced off. Why the hell would he get so flustered over Rukia and then hardly pay attention? He's not some heartless brunt force of protection. So what is he doing? Dumbass."_

"After Ichigo left, I just…" Rukia stopped speaking for the first time in five minutes. She looked at Renji for some sort of guidance.

"Rukia, it's okay. What is it?"

"I couldn't forgive him."

"What?"

"He didn't even say goodbye to me. After all the days I'd spent at his house, sleeping in his closet, being a part of his everyday life; after all the days he spent trying to rescue me in this very place right before Aizen betrayed us; after every last battle he fought in Hueco Mundo by my side… and how… how… he looked at me when I fell… I…" Rukia's eyes started watering profusely. She tried to hide herself, but Renji noticed.

Renji was taken aback. He knew Ichigo may have had feelings for Rukia but he didn't expect Rukia to be so taken up by them. It was clearly bothering her that he had been such an ass, but he didn't think it ran deeper than just wanting to mend a friendship. Rukia's cheeks grew hot, blushing a rosy pink. Renji just stared, eyes wide.

"He doesn't deserve my friendship, my attention, my care, my…anything!"

"Do you…like Ichi—"

"NO!" Rukia cut him off rather tersely, which came a little too quick for Renji to just shrug off.

"Well, you should at least forgive him for what he did. Maybe there's a reason for why he was cold back a month ago. Maybe you were the one that snapped and jumped all over his case first out there on the field."

Rukia sat in thought for a moment. He was probably right. "That might be true."

"You know it is."

"Why are you so worried about my relationship with Ichigo all of a sudden, anyway?!"

"We he's my friend too, ya know. Not only that, but his companionship made you happy. It would be dumb of me not to help you find happiness. You know how much I care about you."

A little smile cracked Rukia's sullen face. A slight sparkle returned to her eyes, washing away a bit of the gloominess that had hung over their table.

"Do the both of you a favor, and just go talk to him."

"But—"

"Rukia!"

"FINE I WILL!" She folded her arms and curled into a small ball on her seat. She looked like a cornered dog. At that point, Renji didn't press the matter any further. There were other things to discuss before they both headed back to their respective squads.

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Ichigo bowed before his newly acquainted Sensei. He had been able to muster up enough confidence to shake the man's hand a while before, and they had good conversation. His Sensei was a very reserved man, although he did show a brief moment of excitement when he mentioned that Ichigo would be sparring another student to show where his placement in the class will be. Ichigo nodded with a smile, expecting that each professor would want to see a display of skill.

As he walked away with Mei, he realized that despite starting Academy classes like every other shinigami is required, he was also being held to tremendous standards by each of the instructors to top it all off. He had met another instructor earlier, having been lucky enough to run into the swordplay master and Mei knowing exactly who he was. He had a large interest in the boy's fighting skill, and almost coaxed him into a little bout just to get a taste of Ichigo's abilities. However, Ichigo had politely declined, remembering the meeting with the sparring instructor Mei had set up. He looked forward to a potential match tomorrow.

Mei had been great, introducing him to people of importance and showing him exactly where his classes would be. After all, this was one of the few places in Soul Society Ichigo wasn't familiar with. After a morning of introductions, he was happy to settle into a small area of the courtyard with Mei for lunch, even if he didn't know her very well at all. Her four "disciples" joined them, quietly eating, but watching Mei and Ichigo ever intently. Akiko was the first to speak up.

"So, Kurosaki Ichigo, how was Mei's tour? She knows everything about this place!"

Ichigo nodded. "Yeah, she's definitely helping me a lot for my first day tomorrow."

"Yeah, it's not too bad getting around. You'll figure it out." Souta said and motioned toward Hikaru. "He can tell you a pretty good story about his first day."

Hikaru glared at Souta, but instantly smiled when Mei clapped her hands and chimed, "Story time it is!" Hikaru sighed. "I got incredibly lost my first day. I ran into the wrong classroom twice, and even into the girl's bathroom. That's where Mei came in."

Mei smiled deviously. "I pulled you out of the bathroom, straightened you out, introduced myself and made your day a hell of a lot easier."

Hikaru laughed. "More like she grabbed me by the collar, shoved me into the wall outside the bathroom and told me to figure out my way around or she'd do it for me. Well, she did it for me, and we've been close sense then."

Ichigo gulped down a bite of food with a sip of water. "So, what year are all of you?"

"Well," Mei's eyes twinkled, "Noa is a third year like me, and Hikaru is a second year. Akiko started this term, and Souta is one year ahead, even though we're in some of the same classes." All four nodded simultaneously. Ichigo feigned a smile, still uneasy about the four just following this girl around. "That's cool, I guess."

The six finished their lunches, but continued to linger just to talk. Ichigo was all too curious to resist prodding the other four a bit. "So, uh, how'd the rest of you meet Mei, or vice versa?"

Akiko giggled. She spoke in a rather bubbly voice that had a sing-song element to it. She began to explain how when she died, she ended up in Rukongai with very little to protect her. When someone tried to attack her, she let out a burst of uncontrolled reiatsu that scared her attackers away. Within the week, she was asked to come to the Shinigami Academy. One of her formal greeters was Mei. Noa had known Mei in Rukongai and had always stuck by her side. Souta had a much different story. He had been in one of Mei's classes, and rather than asking him to study with her, she showed up at his placed and demanded to study. Souta tried to shoo her off, but when she overpowered him physically, he reluctantly allowed her to stay and study.

"_Cautious guy," _Ichigo thought. "_Then again, I can't really blame him."_

He gathered his trash and stood up. "Thanks Mei for giving me a tour around, and thanks to all of you for helping set everything up. It was nice. But I gotta go get situated. School starts tomorrow and I haven't even unpacked or tried on my uniform."

"Mei-sama had your uniforms taken care of, Ichigo." Noa reminded.

"I still have other things to do too. And I'm going to try one of them on anyway to make sure."

Akiko giggled. "I'm really good at setting things up! I help organize and clean all the girls' rooms if you want help."

"I think I can handle it."

"Suit yourself," said Souta. "If you're ever in need of some physical exercise—"

"I'm around." Mei smirked up at Ichigo, well aware she just cut Souta off. Ichigo inwardly laughed, wondering how well he could handle sparring with Mei. He'd have to find out tomorrow. "Meet us here tomorrow at lunchtime," Noa said sweetly. He said his goodbyes, and walked back to his dorm. He liked that he had somewhat began to learn his way around and acquaint himself with people, but there was just something off about this girl and her "friends."

Rather than heading back to the dorm, however, Ichigo headed off to see Renji. He wanted to know what the hell was going on with that woman, and if what happened could again. If so, he was calling it quits. She wasn't worth his affection if she didn't give a shit about him anymore. _"Wait, did I just say AFFECTION?!... I...I meant care. Yeah, and, protection and stuff."_ Ichigo shook his head, in disbelief of his own thoughts.

When he stopped by the 6th squad, he peaked indoors only to see Byakuya sitting at his desk doing papers.

"What?" Byakuya asked flatly.

"How did you know I was here?" Ichigo asked, though not surprised.

"You leak reiatsu everywhere, fool. How could one not see you standing by their door?"

Ichigo cursed under his breath and started to walk away. "Kurosaki?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you want? I asked you a question, and you are being rude."

"To find Renji."

"He's with Rukia."

"Oh. Guess I'll come back—"

"Sit."

"What?"

"Are you so stupid you cannot understand a single syllable word? Sit."

Ichigo promptly sat on a cushion inside the 6th division office. He had defeated the captain once in battle, but that didn't make the man any less intimidating, especially with his noble status and tremendous powers. It didn't help he was Rukia's brother, either. He sat wide eyed, wondering why he had invited him inside.

"This is about my sister, is it not?"

Ichigo turned a deep shade of red. "Yes, sir."

"You have studies to focus on, she has her duties to the squad. After all, I am finally going to allow her to rise in ranking."

"So, she could become a lieutenant now?"

"Exactly."

"That's great! Rukia: Lieutenant of the… the… which squad?"

"That is to be determined. And you will keep your classless mouth shut, you impotent fool. She is not to know until it has been decided. This is an allowance nobody shall give but me."

"Yes, sir."

"So, do not distract her with whatever inner musings you may have or any such trifles. Neither she nor you should have any reason to form anything beyond a patched friendship."

"Wha… that's all I'm trying to do! Patch what's left of our friendship…"

"You do not realize your own intentions, Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Don't you dare imply that _I_ have intentions with Rukia, because I don't." Ichigo spoke sternly, even if internally he wondered if he was telling the complete truth. What was this guy trying to hint at? He never thought of Rukia as… _"My Rukia?"_ Ichigo grimaced. "_No way!"_

"Hmph. Then you may go. What are you waiting for, don't gawk at me. Leave me to my duties!"

Ichigo scrambled off the cushion, left and headed for his dorm. That meeting was just more than he bargained for. Not only was he withholding a secret, but he hadn't gotten to talk to Renji and was forced to deal with someone who was a force not to be reckoned with. He sighed audibly, shuffling his feet to his dorm. He had yet to organize his room, and that night there would no doubt be some sort of welcome. He eagerly got busy, hoping to keep his mind away from the conflicting thoughts he still harbored toward Rukia.

He began to unpack his things, which were mostly necessary hygiene products, training equipment, and a couple mementos. He placed Zangetsu in the closet, along with a stack of his favorite mangas and his practice weaponry for training. He would hang his shinigami uniform here, as most of his time would now be spent in the Academy outfits Mei had ordered Noa to put in the bottom two drawers of his armoire. He organized his desk, putting his books Renji had given him in a stack, his brushes and ink beside them. Fresh paper was on the opposite end in a neat pile. Between the two was a simply framed picture of his family. Inserted in the corner was a photo of his mother. He smiled at her, wondering if she'd be proud of him being here.

"Mom..." he whispered, lightly touching the photo with his fingers. "No matter what happened back then, no matter how weak I was, no matter how much I couldn't protect you... I'm here now. I'm here to grow stronger, to protect those people I cherish. Even if...you're not here."

Ichigo set down the picture frame and headed toward the door. _"Hm! Nothing's going to keep me from my goals. No emotion, no hate, no binding contract with anyone or anything shall ground me from reaching further, rising up. I know who I do these things for. My family, my friends, and her..." _Looking back, he whispered, "I love you mom," before walking out and shutting his door with a quiet _thud._

* * *

Please, please, please remember to leave me comments!!

Previews for next chapter:

**Teaser 1 **

He felt something. He wanted to ignore it, but his eyes fluttered open anyway. They were met by two deep amethyst orbs, sparkling, bright… vibrantly colored crystal eyes.

He blinked once.

Twice.

He wanted to touch the porcelain face that held those beautiful eyes, but his body lay frozen.

"Ichigo?"

**Teaser 2 **

Mei's eyes grew wide.

The doubled over figure had been right in front of her eyes… and yet it had only been an image left by the looming shadow behind her.

She felt a foot come in contact with her back and force her to her knees.

Two arms wrapped around her neck, choking her.

She clawed at them, still wide-eyed.

Ichigo's voice whispered in her ear...

"We'll see about that."


	4. Arguments and Apologies

Alrighty everyone, here's chapter four! Sorry it took so long. Honestly between getting back on this continent, starting school, and my brother's surgery it's been crazy. However, I'm back and writing. I actually already started the next chapter... so hopefully it won't be as long of a wait. So.. enjoy!

Oh, by the way, I apologize, I posted a new preview at the end of Chapter 3 since I didn't end up using that one for this chapter. No worries... it'll be used later ; ).

Disclaimer: I don't own bleach... but who says I can't wish I did??

* * *

Ichigo's first day of classes at the Shinigami Academy was, for lack of better words, _"exhausting."_ Between the introductory questions instructors posed before the class and the hushed interrogations by students during lessons, the collective whole had asked him enough questions to write a rather detailed biography of his first year as a shinigami. Or at least it had felt that way to him. As he expected, each class had tested his limits in spiritual power, skill, technique, and knowledge. In most instances, he had exceeded his preceding reputation. Only in Kido class did Ichigo disappoint, unable to control his reiatsu and exploding every target. He was easily frustrated during that particular hour, mostly because the incantations were lengthy and he wasn't doing well. He almost let his temper get the best of him when the other students succeeded, but his sensei reminded him to keep himself controlled and focused if he ever wanted to excel at the technique. 

Sparring and Judo class had been a lot more promising since Ichigo already had extensive battle experience. He shared this class with Mei, who eagerly had volunteered to become his training partner. _"She probably just wants to see if she can handle me,"_ thought Ichigo. It was only when a practice match in front of the class between the partners occurred that he was happy to be paired with her. Despite her small size and dainty hourglass physique, she most definitely held her own strength during combat. She was quick and confident, and completely took him off guard. A glint of menace had appeared in her eyes when he taunted and teased her, and before he could take his comments back, she had thrown and pinned him to the mat.

"Ow, Mei! Get off me."

"Heh, you really didn't think I could take you, did ya?"

Ichigo grunted. "Sorry for underestimating. Now will you get off and we'll start this fight over?"

"Nope." The corners of Mei's mouth curled into a smile.

"Get off me! Fair rematch?"

"Hahaha… this _was_ fair. So, no."

"Let me up, Mei!"

"Struggle for me, strawberry."

"Wha-what did you just say?"

"You heard me."

Ichigo fumed. He wasn't about to let a girl he just met spoil another class period. His sensei and the rest of the class were watching, even if they couldn't hear their conversation. "Brute force it is then!" He shoved her off of him, and she gracefully landed on the balls of her feet. As he adjusted his stance, she faced him, battle ready, an ominous smile spread across her flushed cheeks. Ichigo returned a challenging eye and ran, charging toward her at full speed. Mei jumped in anticipation of Ichigo's front kick, and landed a solid punch to his jaw. He staggered back only slightly, returning a right hook, which Mei blocked. Ichigo quickly took advantage of her raised guard, and kneed her directly in the stomach. Mei's smile faded and was soon replaced by a solemn determination that could be mistaken for mania. Dodging his punches, she rolled sideways onto the floor and tripped Ichigo with a quick swipe of her leg. As he fell forward, she didn't hesitate. Pouncing like an agile panther, she landed on his back, and pulled his arms backward in a strong hold before he could react. Snickering, she shoved a knee between his shoulder blades.

"Aww, where's that strength of yours now, strawberry?"

"It's Ichigo, not strawberry...you—"

"Right, right. Now, why don't you squirm for me. I've got you _right where I want you_, little boy."

Ichigo snarled. "Like…hell…you…do!"

Using his legs and the strength in his back, Ichigo flipped her over to the side, loosening her grip enough for him to pry his arms free. He rolled on top of her, pinning her wrists to the floor. She instinctively pressed her knees up against his chest, trying to force him off of her. As she struggled, she laughed.

"What are you laughing at?"

"You would be the kind of guy who likes being on top."

Ichigo's face turned bright red as Mei pried him off. He sprung backwards, confused, and Mei flew upward with a solid kick to Ichigo's ribs. She laughed, watching his image bend over and sputter, the wind completely gone from his lungs.

"You'll learn I'm not the type of girl that submits to anything, strawberry."

Then suddenly, his image disappeared.

Mei's eyes grew wide.

The doubled over figure had been right in front of her eyes… and yet it had only been an image left by the looming shadow behind her.

She felt a foot come in contact with her back and force her to her knees.

Two arms wrapped around her neck, choking her.

She clawed at them, still wide-eyed.

Ichigo's voice whispered in her ear…

"We'll see about that."

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Rukia sat at her office desk, finishing the last of her sick captain's paperwork. Even if the third and fourth officers were functioning as lieutenants, it didn't help that there wasn't one officially in place. Between the captain's frequent ailments and the squad's fractured structure, paperwork often spilled onto other ranking officers. She hummed softly as she prepared the transport of several important documents over to the first squad's captain. She liked humming, convinced that it lightened the dreariness of paperwork and passed her hours of duty easier. A black hell butterfly flew in and hovered gracefully over her desk. Sighing, she took its message, grabbed the paperwork, and hummed herself out.

After finishing her errands, ahead on her duties and faced with a little free time, she sought out a quiet spot to enjoy her lunch. The sun was already high in the cloudless sky, and she wanted to soak in the tender warmth outdoors. She chose a tree not far away from the Shinigami Academy, previously a place where she had eaten when she was a student there. Absentmindedly, she wondered if her lunch would ever coincide with Ichigo's, before realizing where her thoughts had strayed. She was _supposed_ to be upset with him. Yet she couldn't help wondering if she should take Renji's advice and apologize. She really didn't want to be the first to apologize, to sink below, to submit. She would only inflate Ichigo's ego more than it was already. After all, she was the Kuchiki princess. Who was she to stoop to the level of someone who wasn't even on the same plane as a Ryoka when she was nobility? Then again, Ichigo was better than that. He was human…a human with an incredible power who was not someone to toy with. Even when they had first met, he had broken a kido binding spell with pure strength. He had an incredible reiatsu; his zanpakuto reflected that. She was at loss for words. What would she even say? She had no idea where to even begin. After all these nights he had haunted her dreams, after the countless days in waiting for his return, he was now here, she unable to say anything at all.

She shook her head in disbelief. _"Get yourself together,"_ she thought. Someone would have to be the 'better person' and just apologize anyway. Her habituated civility would convince her to be that person. As she swallowed another bite of food, she mulled over how to apologize. Go to his dorm? Yes, that would have to work since she had never learned his schedule. It should be casual. Perhaps have another excuse to be there? Maybe a reason to see him again wouldn't hurt. She heaved a sigh, deciding she would try him later that evening when classes were over.

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The tightened grasp on her throat let go, and she fell to the floor. The air rushed into her windpipes. She was breathing. Yet the confusion remained.

"What… where…," Mei choked.

Ichigo smiled. "Confused?" She nodded. "That was a high level shunpo I learned from Yoruichi. It's called 'cicada shell.'"

"You learned a lot before the war with Aizen in order to get the best advantage, didn't you?"

"Yeah. You can't even imagine this guy. His reiatsu is enough to make most of the people in this room lose consciousness."

"What about yours?"

"Huh?"

"Show me yours."

"No way. I'm still learning to control it. You should have seen me in Kido today. It was a disaster."

"Think it's too much for me to handle? Huh?!"

"Maybe I do!"

"Come on, you punk. Show me!"

Suddenly a different voice came from behind the arguing pair. "I would rather have conscious students, so I ask you not to, Mr. Kurosaki."

Both spun around to find their sensei sternly staring them down. Mei straightened up and bowed, Ichigo sloppily followed.

"Sorry sir," Mei voiced.

"No need. You both had a very good match. It is rare to see such tenacity. Your shunpo was excellent, Ichigo. I have never seen nor heard of such a technique. However, you won't be needing or using such abilities in my class."

Ichigo growled. "Why not? It's necessary in true combat!"

"Might I remind you this class is based on close hand-to-hand combat? We focus on direct contact, not avoiding it. My job, Mr. Kurosaki, is to train you so that shunpo is no longer necessary, but an asset."

Ichigo nearly began to argue when Mei elbowed him harshly in the stomach. "Thank you, sensei," she spoke with a bow.

The grey haired instructor hobbled away and yelled above the class, who were excitedly chatting about the match that had just ended before their eyes. "CLASS DISMISSED!"

Mei frowned at Ichigo. "Am I gonna have to hold your hand every time you interact with an instructor? Jeeze. Anyway, it's time for lunch. Get changed and meet me outside the class shoji." She ran off, blond hair bouncing behind her.

Ichigo shrugged. "Okay!" he called after the retreating figure. "_Guess I'm eating with them again,_" he thought.

The two met outside and walked out to Mei's usual area of the courtyard. The rest of the group was already sitting eagerly awaiting Mei and Ichigo's arrival. Hikaru barely noted Ichigo's presence, while Akiko motioned him over to sit between her and the empty spot intended for Mei. Two lunches were placed in front of the empty seats. Ichigo admitted he was hungry, and the steam rising from the hot food tempted him to shovel whatever it was into his mouth. Eyeing his lunch, he nodded hello to everyone and sat down in front of the enticing meal. _"Manners… right. I sometimes forget those since Dad didn't really force those growing up."_ He ate patiently like everyone else in the circle, fighting the urge to scarf down everything in one swift bite. Somehow the only picture that came to mind was Rukia and her impeccable manners. He was by no means a pig, but she was just so… hoity toity. He made a face of disgust. He couldn't possibly imagine eating like that every day. She had recoiled with such a disgusted look of surprise when he had belched in front of her the first time. He couldn't stop laughing when her mouth dropped, but didn't burp anymore in her presence. Only if he wanted to annoy her did he return to his "vile habits," as she had called them.

"So, there's talk of a good match in Judo. Was that with you and Mei, Ichigo?"

Ichigo looked across the circle to find Souta looking at him. "Oh… yeah, it was."

Souta raised an eyebrow. "You must be something to be able to take on Mei."

Ichigo scowled. "It should be the other way around," he muttered under his breath.

_SMACK._

"Ow! Mei!"

"You know you deserved it." She glared at him, but teasingly. Ichigo rubbed the back of his head with a frustrated stare. Mei giggled.

"I would have had you if you hadn't used that shunpo, so get over yourself, strawberry."

"Keep thinkin' that Mei. I had you fair and square."

"After I graciously allowed a rematch."

"What?! I threw you off of me! I made a rematch happen." Ichigo's face was a burning red.

"You forget I still pinned you first, silly strawberry." Mei was too calm, he was furious.

"Gah, why do you keep calling me that?! It's _Ichigo_, not strawberry!" Ichigo's voice was booming over the courtyard. Mei laughed, still completely collected.

"You're so loud. Now the world knows your little nickname."

She tapped her finger on his nose and smiled. Ichigo merely blinked, unnerved, but embarrassed at Mei's close proximity. "You wouldn't want _everyone_ calling you strawberry, would you?" She giggled again. "I can_surely_ arrange _that_." Ichigo leaned backwards. Her smile seemed innocent enough, but struck him in a way that made him gulp audibly. Her eyes twinkled with devilish play. She toyed with his obi sash. "But, I don't think you want that." Her body leaned forward, almost over him. He blinked again, his body temperature rising. Why was he acting this way? "_She's just teasing me because of the practice match…"_ he told himself. She flipped the obi sash up into his face, and returned to her lunch. Her demeanor was as if nothing had happened. Ichigo stuttered. Noa smiled from behind her chopsticks, and Hikaru fumed.

"Hehe... heh… uh…" Ichigo looked at the group in embarrassment, a meek smile set within his blushing visage. "Lunch is… good. Um… thanks."

"You're welcome," replied Akiko. Souta nodded.

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Later that evening, Ichigo lay on his bed. The interrogations, the tests, the classes, the introductions were over at least for tonight. He admitted he was tired, unable to help the weight of exhaustion on his body and eyelids. Staring up at his bare ceiling, he regretted he hadn't brought more stuff to decorate his room with. Originally he had liked it plain. There was a sweet solitude in plainness, a stoic simplicity that reflected certain aspects of himself. Yet somehow, he felt as though the plain color that ran through the walls and the ceiling was too dull. His life was completely colorful, shaded with grey areas and indigo shadows, greener patches and gold and pink skies. The black and white of his shinigami uniform certainly represented the clear-cut nature of his position. But it was the red of his bankai coat that shadowed the sacrifice and ambiguity, the pain and dedication. He lived in a vibrant world. The stark contrast of the bleakness of Hueco Mundo had forced him to miss color. It was now that he longed for color as well.

He closed his eyes, envisioning his room back at home, drifting into the glossy posters, the tattered photographs, the faded blue of his bedding, the tainted yellow of Kon's plushie… he could almost hear the clank of the pots his sister used to make dinner in the kitchen.

He felt something tearing him back to reality. He wanted to ignore it, but his eyes fluttered open anyway. They were met by two deep amethyst orbs, sparkling, bright… vibrantly colored crystal eyes.

He blinked once.

Twice.

He wanted to touch the porcelain face that held those beautiful eyes, but his body lay frozen.

"Ichigo?"

Ichigo jumped up. It was Rukia. How the hell had he not realized it was Rukia? He'd gotten lost in the color, but that was no matter anymore. He couldn't look like an idiot in front of her. Not after their last meeting. He silently cursed himself for daydreaming. Wasn't he supposed to be angry? He should have been fuming at the sight of her… but he didn't.

Rukia was amused. All she wanted to do was see if he was sleeping. She just hadn't expected him to stare at her like that. His eyes had pierced her, searched her very soul. She hadn't been ready for that at all, nor his defensive fight-or-flight stance as he feigned being completely composed. Her eyes were wide with surprise, searching Ichigo's panicked face for guidance.

Ichigo awkwardly scratched the back of his head, furrowing his brow out of habit. He had finally gotten over who had appeared in his room. It was finding that biting remark that he was having trouble with.

"Hi, Rukia."

"I didn't mean to startle you like that… I just thought you were awake until I walked over."

"Yeah, thanks for barging in my room like that."

"Look, I thought you were ignoring my knocking and I'm not going to be ignored!"

"I wasn't ignoring you, Rukia! I was just…daydreaming."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"So what were you daydreaming about?"

"My room back at home."

"Are you homesick?"

"Nah, I just wish I'd brought more stuff to make my room more interesting. You know, colorful."

The two stood quietly looking at each other. Ichigo looked a little more relaxed than before, flopping back on his bed with a sigh. He rolled over so he could reach Rukia's gaze. She looked so timid, and he couldn't understand why. _"I know I looked at her for those couple moments, but I didn't know she'd react to it like this. What's she thinking right now?"_ Ichigo wondered silently. He watched her walk over to his chair, and took a seat facing him. She sat with perfect posture, legs crossed at her ankles, hands clasped on her knees. He immediately knew she was nervous.

"Ichigo… about yesterday, I—" she cut herself off. She opened her mouth and shut it again, unsure how to proceed.

Ichigo sat up on his bed and looked at her. He had originally been cruel on the field for a specific purpose that she didn't understand. Nor did he want her to. He just wanted her safe, away from him, away from constant danger and everything that obstructed his path. Fighting by her side had been something he treasured until the moment she just got too close… _"Too damn close to death…in MY arms."_ He cast her aside for a reason. Yet here she sat in front of him, enough humility in her posture and regret in her eyes to want him back. Even if her mouth refused to utter a single word, her body said it all. He hadn't wanted to worry. Yet that's all he could do, worry about her. Wonder where her smile had gone, wonder who would protect her and take his place. No, nobody could do that. Not even Byakuya.

Heaving another sigh, Ichigo looked down at his lap and back up to the struggling amethyst eyes.

"Rukia, I was an ass on the field yesterday. We both just sorta snapped at eachother. I'm sorry."

Rukia stared at Ichigo, eyes widened. A smile peeled across her face, slowly.

"Well?" Ichigo asked. "I said it! You gonna say something back?"

"Apology accepted."

"Wha?! Aren't you gonna say sorry back?!"

"Of course! You just didn't let me get to that part!"

"Oh… sorry."

"I'm sorry too. I was just so angry at how much of an idiot you were before you left Soul Society that I let that get in the way of a better greeting."

"Well, it's fine now."

"Hn." Rukia nodded. She stretched out her legs, raising her arms and spreading out in a full body stretch. "I'm glad that's all taken care of."

"So are we ever gonna have time to hang out? I know you're busy a lot with duties and whatnot. Plus I'm sure your brother is always on your tail with something."

"It's more the fact that my captain is always sick than Nii-sama giving me a workload. He's not my captain, after all. What time is your lunch?"

"Around twelve thirty or so. It depends on if my sensei lets us out of Judo early like he did yesterday."

"He let you out early?"

"Yeah, he had Mei and I have a match in front of the class to get an idea what kind of fighter I am."

"Mei?"

"Mei Kimiko. She's a girl who just sortof barged in here while I was unpacking, introduced herself, and drug me around the school introducing me to my sensei's and got my uniforms and everything."

"That's really…sweet in a creepy way."

"She's a nice girl."

"Yeah, we'll see about that." Rukia cackled. "Bwahahaha!"

Ichigo rolled his eyes and buried his head under his pillow. "Oh god, please not that again!"

"You know you loooove the evil cackle of Don Kanonji! Bwahahah!"

"RUKIA!"

"Fine fine. So you gonna meet me for lunch tomorrow?"

"Sure. I always eat in the courtyard, so find me there."

"Hn. See you tomorrow. Oh and Ichigo…"

"What?"

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAH!"

"RUKIA!!"

* * *

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know it's kinda short, but hopefully another one will come out soon. I have an IchixRuki scene coming up that was inspired by me reading while I was out of the country, and that's really got me going. 

I'll have a preview up hopefully within the week.

Let me know how I'm doing, comments, criticism, anything will do, my dears! I'm so happy you're reading my fanfic that I'd love to know what you think. MUAH


	5. Hopeful

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, not one little bit.

* * *

**CHAPTER 5**

Inoue Orihime tugged at the strands of auburn hair that were tucked behind her blue five-petal clip. Math class was so tedious, and it wasn't as easy without her former tutor to help her out. Yes, it had only been a mere couple days since the orange-haired, stubborn shinigami bound human had parted for Sereitei, but these days at school had felt like an eternity. She eyed her large, pink wristwatch and flicked her gaze to the clock on the wall of the classroom. Yes, they were perfectly in synch. Only four more minutes and she would be free.

Tatsuki caught her attention from across the room with a wadded up piece of paper. Orihime smiled as her friend pointed at a messy sketch of pots and pans and two stick figures resembling the two friends, wearing chef's hats. Cooking would be a good distraction. Orihime did love to cook, especially for her friends. Her mood brightened. She owed Tatsuki so much; after all, her best friend did know how to cheer her up on almost any occasion. She would just have to rely on her friends to help pull her up so she could move away from wallowing over Ichigo. Orihime sighed audibly and returned her distant eyes to her teacher, who quickly scratched one last note of lecture on the board before the loud bell cut over her speech.

Ishida Uryu adjusted his glasses just as Orihime bounced over to Tatsuki. He packed his notebook into his bag and threw it over a shoulder. While most of the class eagerly scrambled out of the classroom, he walked at what most would think an excruciatingly slow pace. However, that was merely the intellectual's nature. Taking things slow allowed for contemplation. Ishida valued reflection highly. He nodded to his teacher, and headed for the park where he could think.

Even though the pages of his math notebook today were filled with important examples and explanations, math hadn't been the only thing he had paid close attention to. Orihime's quiet internal banter was easily disguised by an empty stare, but Ishida could easily recognize that something more was going on underneath the surface. He had known for some time that Orihime's heart strings had been wrapped around hopes that Ichigo would love her back. Yet Ishida also knew that she hadn't been the same since Hueco Mundo. Everyone's mind raced when they had left behind the rubble of their battles. Chad's thoughts were preoccupied with his powers connection to hollows; Renji's eyes darted back and forth between the floor and the crumpled Rukia in Ichigo's arms; Ichigo stared ahead, though like Renji, his gaze often returned to the face of the wounded girl; Orihime's hands were focused in healing her friend, but her eyes were locked on the glint of desperation in the way Ichigo stared at Rukia. Ishida had seen that. She may have had the least fatal wounds, but as they walked side by side out of that forsaken place, he had watched her heart shatter.

The steady beating in his chest panged sharply against his ribcage. The Quincy was supposed to be a proud, independent fighter. Yet somehow, he couldn't help the growing concern he felt for Orihime. He wanted her suffering to stop, for ruined dreams of another man to fade away from her conscience. He wanted her to be happy. However, Ishida Uryu was no dreamer. He understood completely that this would take time, and gentility he needed to learn. After a few moments of meditation, he adjusted his glasses and stood to walk home, book bag heavy on his shoulder. He had a lot of work to do before tomorrow's classes.

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A drowsy Mei yawned, stretching her body as she sat through her third class of the day. She'd been taking diligent notes for the most of class, but the professor had recently become too droning and redundant for Mei to pay attention. Bored, she pushed her brush and ink aside. She leaned back with arms crossed, lips pursed, and eyes half open. Akiko's figure caught her eye. The girl was brightly entranced by the monotonous sensei, and she was gnawing and sucking lightly on the end of her brush. Mei rolled her eyes. Akiko _would_ chew on a brush end. It just seemed to fit the bubbly, soaks-up-knowledge-like-a-sponge-and-regurgitates-the-information-everywhere aspect of her personality. Mei sighed. Whether Akiko chewed on her brush or not was no matter to Mei. After all, Mei had chosen Akiko. Mei picked and got who she wanted, when she wanted. She chose her allies as they suited her. It was her most recent interest that was giving her a bit of trouble.

Ichigo had seemed reluctant. That was to be expected. There was always a bit of resistance that Mei was forced to overcome in anyone's case. In her pursuit of Souta, she physically overpowered him. Yet Ichigo was so much different than any other. Physically overpowering him was not an option. His wits were one of his strongest attributes, and had served him well on countless occasions. He had a will that was explosive, a powerful drive enough to massacre anything in his way. Yes, Kurosaki Ichigo would be the hardest one for Mei to capture, but she had no intention of letting up on the relentlessness of her plan.

She picked a strand of blond hair and twirled it in between her fingers. Half intentionally, she eyed a boy across the room. She slowly exhaled, smoldering her gaze into his eyes. She chuckled when he nearly fell out of his chair. It just seemed to happen that way. Her gaze, her body language, her mere being seemed to posses certain males. She was just the type of girl who liked a challenge, not something that so easily fell into her lap. There was something invigorating about luring someone in. She acted much like a hunter, eagerly waiting. She knew her prey was always on guard, that they very reluctantly took the bait. Yet it was once they were caught in the bait, the slow slip into submission that she loved about a capture. The look in someone's eyes when she knew they've completely changed for her was always entrancing. Her mental high came in utmost devotion from others. One might have thought she was a manipulator, but that wasn't true at all. Those she chose, she gave everything to. If you had Mei Kimiko on your side, you were one lucky soul. Social status, protection, material items- all those things were child's play. Mei offered something nobody could turn down- when you were hers, she was yours, and the world had no limit. Ichigo just had no idea.

She sank her blue eyes into Akiko's attentive figure once again. A second opinion couldn't hurt the matter of exactly what to do with him. Akiko and Noa knew her all too well. They'd be the best judges of her opinion and character. _"Hm.__"_ Mei thought. _"How 'bout a little chat, girls?"_

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Ichigo sat in the corner of the courtyard for lunch by himself. Mei supposedly had a meeting elsewhere, but he wasn't completely sure. He was certain, however, that it was already fifteen minutes into the little time he had to relax before his classes started up again, and no Rukia. He was disappointed, no doubt. This, unfortunately, was not the only thing that had gone wrong. Kido was still a disaster. He couldn't seem to get himself together. It didn't help that he was wearing a _red _Academy uniform and not a _blue_one like he was supposed to. No wonder Noa had giggled so much when she'd gone to get Ichigo's uniforms the day before classes. She'd gotten him the wrong color on purpose. _"Some sick kind of __joke_…"He'd gotten enough laughs out of that little prank today. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something swoop into his peripheral vision. Annoyed, he swatted his hand, but when he brought it back down, a little black hell butterfly was gripping onto his finger. The poor winged creature looked slightly disheveled. "Crap!" he exclaimed. He held his finger up to the level of his nose mere inches from his face and whispered an apology to the charcoal butterfly, which folded its wings. A message was soon relayed, and it gracefully fluttered away.

The butterfly had reported Rukia couldn't come to lunch today, but Renji was going to stop by. Ichigo felt disappointed, but he couldn't do anything about it. The day had already turned into a nightmare. He looked over to find a couple of girls staring at him. He waved awkwardly, and the girls instantly flushed and whipped their heads back around, giggling in a circle. Ichigo sweat dropped. They'd probably seen his idiocy in how he'd handled the hell butterfly._"I feel like a dumbass,"_ thought Ichigo.

WHAP.

"You are a dumbass, Ichigo."

"What the hell was that for Renji?"

"Did ya forget about the way we communicate here? We don't use those dumb cell phones in Soul Society."

"Yeah, I remember idiot. Did you have to slap me face first into my food?!"

"Yup."

"You bastard."

"Always."

The red-haired and completely tattooed lieutenant sat down next to Ichigo as he wiped food from his nose, cheeks, and brow. Renji tugged at his friend's uniform and put on a sickly sweet fake smile.

"Aw, Ichigo… you shouldn't be wearing a red uniform! It doesn't go well with that orange hair of yours."

Ichigo fumed, shoving a mouthful of food between his lips and chewing it angrily. Renji chuckled. "Rough day, huh?"

"Yoo coufay vaat," Ichigo mumbled through his mouthful. He swallowed and enunciated for his confused friend. "You could say that."

"So, who did this to ya?"

"Mei Kimiko and her posse or whatever."

"Ohh, is that the girl from the Judo match I heard about yesterday?"

"Yeah."

"Tough cookie. How is she? I heard she's a real killer with looks."

"She has a hell of a glare. Not as icy as Rukia's, but enough to make you stutter."

"I wanna meet this girl," Renji said with a grimace. "Sounds like my type."

"You have a type?" Ichigo laughed. He hadn't seen Renji have an ounce of luck with any girl.

"Yeah! My type… speaking of types… Rukia wanted me to let you know she's sorry she couldn't be here. Ukitake's really taking a hard turn right now."

"Yeah, I figured. Just looking forward to- hey, were you implying she's my type?"

"Maybe." Renji punched his friend on the shoulder, hard.

"Ow! You know how Rukia and I are. F-R-I-E-N-D-S. Figured I'd spell it out for you."

"Hn," Renji stared off at a group of girls in the distance. "This brings back memories."

"Hey, stop ogling those girls. I got a question."

"I can look all I want, asshole. What's your question?"

"Does Rukia have a favorite color?"

"Why?"

Ichigo stared off into the distance at a group of friends that reminded him a bit of his, now spread between both the human and spiritual world. Renji looked at him strangely. He sighed.

"When she used to date this guy named Kyou, he always used to get her violet flowers. It seemed to make her happy, and I figure since the color was always the same, she liked that one."

"She dated another guy?"

Renji stared at him blankly. "Of course, you dumbass. She's almost ten times your age."

Ichigo clenched his fists. "Was he any good to her?"

"For a while he was. She definitely deserved better. He shied away from being the boyfriend he should have been. She did everything, he did nothing. She put her faith in him and he just threw it away. Last time she saw him, she punted his puny ass into a lake."

"I'd kick the crap out of that kid if I knew who the hell he was."

"Don't worry about it. I did."

Ichigo smiled at his friend. Although their entire relationship was based on rivalry, they still were on the same side about nearly everything they believed in that was important. Renji smiled and looked at his friend skeptically. "Why'd you wanna know about her favorite color?"

Ichigo returned a cryptic grin. "If she runs up to you and tells you about it, you'll find out."

"Hey, this is Rukia we're talking about here… you better—"

"Renji! I'm not going to kill her with her favorite color, okay?"

"Yeah fine, whatever."

"Will you just ask her if she can meet sometime tomorrow at that tree she likes? While it's daylight, if she can get away from her paperwork."

"Fine. I'll tell her to send a hell butterfly with what time for your date." Renji stood up while Ichigo gathered his trash. He began to walk away, and Ichigo called after him.

"Thanks, man. Hey wait, this is not a date or anything like—" Ichigo yelled, but it was too late. The dust merely settled where his friend had once been. _"Damn shunpo,"_ he cursed in his thoughts.

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Renji walked back to his office, shuffling his feet a little bit after leaving Rukia's desk. Rukia had been excited for Ichigo's surprise, whatever it was. She'd tried to contain the hopeful gleam in her eye from Renji, but failed to master the façade that would fool him. He felt like a middleman, a messenger between two people who were clueless. He didn't really want to play such a part, but the happiness of the small black-haired girl he'd spent his time in Rukongai with was too important to be selfish.

He remembered when he'd first talked to Rukia in the restaurant about what happened in Hueco Mundo. She'd reluctantly spilled her story to him, and he'd seen so many emotions well up into her eyes along with her desperate tears. Pain, gratitude, abandonment, confusion, admiration, hate, and something he hadn't seen in years—longing. Yet he knew those amethyst eyes didn't long for him, as much as he wished they would. Wishing wouldn't change the little Kuchiki's heart, and he knew that. Yet it didn't stop the emptiness from surfacing in his tattooed chest.

Jealousy welled up inside him. How could she be so blinded by someone who didn't even know how to express his feelings? The Rukia he'd always known as a strong had been hardened by death and pain. Somehow a man bursts into her life that she cannot save and her barricades begin to crumble? He was supposed to be that man to reach the depths of her pain and pull her back above the surface, let her breath again. Renji scowled. Yet he hadn't been. Ichigo was his best friend, yes. Renji just couldn't seem to find a way to forgive and forget that it was Ichigo who caused Rukia this pain. How could he be so blinded by his own emotions that he was unable to reveal what he knows is true but keeps denying? Matchmaker was not a game Renji was about to play, but if those idiots didn't figure themselves out soon, _"I'm going to have to intervene. Tch. How annoying."_

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As the sun set, he shuffled his papers together and set them aside. Adjusting his white scarf, he perfected his appearance. Satisfied, he walked tastefully out of his office and toward the small courtyard within his division's area. The cherry blossoms were softly falling out of the trees. Summer wouldn't remain long, and fall would soon set in the human world, scattering the precious pink petals away. They would return after a winter Sereitei did not face. The soft click of his sandals disappeared as they made contact with the sweet summer grass. There, in the soft swirl of the cherry blossoms around him, eddies of pink petals scattering about—Byakuya Kuchiki felt the most at peace. His haori fluttered with the sticky breeze, its white cotton waving and folding in the clutches of the air. He closed his eyes. "Sebonzakura…" he called softly.

_"Hai,"_ a deep soothing voice responded.

"What do I do about the Kurosaki boy?"

_"Your question is unnecessary."_

"You won't answer me?"

_"Only because you're too weak to see the answer, fool."_

Byakuya winced. Sebonzakura sometimes seemed more a master of him than he liked.

_"You know what must be done. You vowed to someone, didn't you?"_

"I did."

_"Your promises are worth your head."_

"I am aware of my word."

_"Watch him closely. Since you cannot see you must understand."_

"Sebonza—"

_"Fool! You dare not argue what you know to be true. You may have mastered me but you haven't come close to mastering yourself. I have waited long enough for that!"_

A light brush whisked across the captain's cheek. A pink petal fluttered away as he opened his eyes. With a whisper, the deep voice was gone. Clenching his jaw, he snatched a blush petal out of the air into his fist. Then reluctantly, he let the crumpled petal go.

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Mei tiptoed across the hallway the next morning over to Ichigo's doorway. A malicious smile was plastered on her face as she shoved the doorway open, ready to pounce. However, she only collided with an empty, unmade bed. She blew the blond bangs from her eyes and searched the room. A note was on his spotless desk, and she couldn't help but pry.

_Ichigo-_

_I checked with my captain and I should have time right about when you're done with classes. So we'll be able to meet at the spot you mentioned. How did you know I liked that tree?! I don't remember telling you about that, idiot! Anyway, I'll see you soon._

_-Rukia_

Mei wrinkled her nose at a dorky looking bunny drawn in the margins by a tree. Mei guessed by the spiky orange hair on the top that it was supposed to be Ichigo. Now this was more than the blond thought she had on her hands. She could handle a bit of resistance, but she didn't want another woman in her way. She left the room as she'd found it and headed off to classes. _"Seems like we have a bit of a situation…"_

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That afternoon, Rukia left her office humming. After a morning of intense paperwork and officer training, she welcomed the break Ichigo offered. At least things were much better between the two, and they were able to be friends again. The breeze ruffled her raven hair, and her humming carried into the breeze. As she reached the field, she spotted her beloved tree. A flicker of orange and black splashed the green background, and she immediately knew that he was waiting.

She walked over to a shaded area beneath the tree where Ichigo sat, intently working on something she could not identify. She slowly steeped closer, eyes transfixed on his moving hands. He grasped a small knife he was using to lightly shave and whittle a bamboo stick. A bucket sat to his side, filled with a strange liquid concoction, and beneath his zanpakuto, delicate sheets of tissue paper fluttered in the breeze. There were two colors, waving against each other- her favorite color, and his. Lilac and red.

She hesitated a moment and then asked her question.

"What are you doing?"

He looked up from his craft with a mysterious smile. His eyes held a twinkle of mischief Rukia had not seen in quite a while. She smiled inwardly, careful to guard her mild amusement with a bland and uninterested façade. However, she _did_ happen to be curious. Ichigo looked back down at the knife and bamboo in his hands. Rukia scowled.

"Answer me you idiot! ICHIGO!?"

Ichigo laughed and a smirk spread across his face. "Here," he said nonchalantly. "Hold this and sit down next to me."

His hand extended the tip of a long piece of string that lay coiled on the grass. Wordlessly, she took the string and sat beside him in the cool shade. She watched him finish the last few easy strokes with his knife and set it and the carved bamboo to a side. He looked at her with a smile, to which she blinked curiously. _"What's he doing?" _she thought. _"He's up to something. But what?__"_

"I need your help during this part. You're going to gloss the string for me." Ichigo's voice broke her thoughts.

"Huh…" Rukia sat, mouth agape, clearly baffled.

"Don't worry, I'll show you what to do. Just… trust me, okay?" Rukia nodded after suspiciously eyeing the orange haired academy student. "Good," he said with a nod. He placed the bucket in front of her, and sat down.

He scooted himself behind her, his abdomen pressed to her back as he wrapped his arms around her torso. He gently took her hands, whispering directions through their synchronized motions. Together, they took up the line and dipped the fingers that clutched it into the cool liquid within the bucket. Threading the string through their fingers, they set the newly coated segment to a side. Rukia watched with intense curiosity, merely attempting to make up for the distractions that were taking her mind. She wouldn't dare say it aloud, but Ichigo's body wrapped around her was putting her fluttering heart on a rollercoaster. He softly spoke encouragements in her ear.

"There you go. Good. You'll just be running the string through here as I hang each length up on the branches of the trees to dry. Yeah… just like that."

"Uh, Ichigo, what is this stuff?"

"It's a mixture of glue and glass that will both strengthen and gloss the string. When it's dry tomorrow, we'll divide it and wind it on two wooden spools I have back in my room."

"And we'll use it for…what?" Rukia looked up at Ichigo's face to find a smile curling up from the corner of his mouth. _"He must really have something planned,"_ she wondered.

"The kites we're going to make," he replied. "I even found out what colors you like from Renji."

"That's very sweet…but…uh…what's a kite?"

Ichigo's jaw dropped. How could she not know what a kite was? An advanced, intelligent, powerful shinigami baffled…by a _kite_? He couldn't believe it.

"You mean to tell me that none of your past dumbass boyfriends ever took you to fly a kite?"

"Kyoumentioned them once…but no."

Ichigo scowled. He still hated hearing that particular guy's name, even if he felt as though he bested the other shinigami as a man in general, even if he'd never met him. He just couldn't stand the thought of Rukia with another _"…imbecile,__"_ he thought through gritted teeth. He took a deep breath.

"Well, I guess I'll just have to show you and you'll see when we finish making them. I used to make kites with my dad when I was little. He taught me; then I taught my two sisters when they were old enough. My mother loved springtime not only for the warm weather and the smell of everything in bloom, but for the kites- brightly colored kites that dove through the sky, dizzy with sunstroke under the warmth of the sun, fighting for space to soar in the blue. I loved kites as a kid, and so did she. So I guess I'll be teaching you about them too."

Rukia blinked. Ichigo slightly tightened his grasp on her hands. He was quiet, but Rukia could tell he was occupied with his thoughts. His heart beat a little faster against her back. He leaned slightly over her, almost resting his chin on her shoulder. She remembered in previous moments in their past that he had used his tall size to show a dominant presence of strength and power over her. Not now, though. His hair slightly flicked against her cheek in the light breeze, tickling her as she watched him guide her in a craft that had been a part of his childhood. He was opening up to her, and she wouldn't dare break the moment with a biting remark that was so often typical of her. She turned a shade of pink as he pulled away, catching herself used to the warmth of his touch. A tinge of regret swept her thoughts. She shouldn't be like this around him, but for some reason or another, she couldn't help herself. Ichigo turned a matching shade of scarlet when he noticed Rukia's blush. He quickly turned around, hoping she wouldn't notice.

The two worked silently, methodically. Rukia was focused carefully glossing countless lengths of woven string while Ichigo whisked them up into the branches of the trees to dangle, glistening to harden. The grass tasseled around their figured shadows on the hillside, vibrating their outlines as their arms moved in precise methodical arcs. After each length of string was each dipped and hung, the two sat down under the shade once more. Rukia pulled her knees into her arms, fiddling with the hem of her kimono. Ichigo grabbed four bamboo sticks, made sure they were smooth, and extended two of them toward Rukia who eagerly took them. He picked up his own two and held them together in the shape that looked like a 't'.

"Okay, so you want to place your bamboo sticks like this. You're going to glue them together in this position."

Rukia mimicked Ichigo, holding her sticks for him confidently. He laughed and straightened them a little. Rukia frowned.

"Make sure they're straight," he said lightly. "They need to be perpendicular to each other for the kite to function."

Ichigo laid his on the grass, straightened them out, and glued them together.

"These are the center and cross spars. They're the frame for the kite. The rest of its body is tissue paper." He looked at her, watching to correct her.

Rukia immediately mimicked Ichigo's actions again, this time succeeding in doing them properly. She grinned at him proudly, which only made him laugh.

"What are you laughing at?!"

"That was the easy part."

"Easy…part?"

"Heh, yeah."

He pulled the red tissue paper out from under Zangetsu and easily snipped out the proper shape. Lightly brushing the bamboo frame with glue, he pressed the tissue paper soflty and secured it in place. He attached a ribbon to the end, then tenderly folded little pieces of leftover ribbon and spaced them equally down the long strand. They each sat as little bows, buttoning down the ribbon back. Ichigo smiled as he laid his crimson creation gently on the grass.

"Well, you saw it, now do it," Ichigo teased. He rubbed a single hand on the top of her head, tangling her hair and making little pieces standing in every which direction. "Midget."

Rukia crossed her arms and shot an icy glare, which slowly turned into a smile, sliding into a large grin. Rukia blushed as she caught herself revealing a genuine grin to his face. Part of her liked it when he teased, even if she would deny that to anyone including herself sometimes. _"I don't want him to know that. I'll never have the upper hand again when I poke back a little fun__ and tease him, too__."_

Ichigo blinked in disbelief. Patches of sunlight fell on her graceful features through the leaves, setting a small twinkle in her dark purple eyes. She was beaming, the warmth in the breeze rifling the messy strands of black hair, cooling her warm face. A smile such as that was a treasure, a rarity he was surprised to find before his eyes. He pulled his gaze away, hoping to keep his composure. He refused to hesitate, scooting himself behind Rukia once more, trying to work through the burning sensation in his cheeks. "_Don't think about her right now. Think about the kite. Not Rukia. Not stubborn, little Rukia and that smile."_

Once again, Ichigo navigated Rukia's hands through the motions he had just shown her. His arms wrapped around again, and she partly laced her fingers in his, lightly, but the sensation was enough to send tingles up his arms. He chokes on his words before he can guide her with his voice. It remained hushed, almost whispering in her ear as he tried to keep his thoughts away from the picture of her smile that he cannot possibly seem to tear from his mind. He wants to stop thinking of Rukia, the same soft and sweet-smelling girl he had wrapped in his grasp. He couldn't deny that it felt right, yet his mind wouldn't allow that homey feeling to justify anything. Rukia's face donned a deep look of concentration while her tongue slightly stuck out of her mouth. Ichigo couldn't help but smile sheepishly. Even with her nose all crinkled and one eye more squinted than the other, she was cute.

When they finally finished gluing the last of the lilac ribbon on her kite, Rukia stood up confidently, smiling brightly and clenching her fragile lilac design.

"See? I did it!"

Ichigo sweat dropped, a grin still on his face. How was a girl who nearly always drove him up a wall so amazingly…adorable?

"Yup, you did. Good job, Rukia."

Rukia set the kite down, regaining a little of her previous composure. She brushed off her shinigami uniform, and Ichigo looked up at her from the floor.

"Hey Rukia?"

"Hm?"

"Does it ever rain in Soul Society?"

"Sometimes, not often though."

"So, you think the weather will be okay to fly the kites tomorrow?"

"Sure."

"That is…uh…if you want to."

Rukia saw Ichigo slightly blush. She caught herself turning a matching shade of pink, finding it rather sweet that she had made him slightly nervous. At the same time, she scolded herself for finding the orange-haired jerk so suddenly attractive.

"Of course. Why wouldn't we fool? We can fly kites."

"Okay then, I guess I'll swing by your office after class then. I'm guessing you gotta go. You keep looking back off toward the Gotei 13 offices."

"Yeah, I'm sorry. Duties."

"I understand."

"I'll see you after your classes tomorrow."

Rukia flashed him a small smile before walking back toward her respective squad. Ichigo sighed and sunk back into the tree trunk. The shade was receding, and the cool breeze felt good. It was perfect for flying kites.

* * *

Yayyyyy!!!! A little bit of IchixRuki fluff for ya. I was rather proud... my longest chapter yet!

Ya like? Hmmmm? Please let me know how I'm doing.

Comments _are_ a girl's best friend in this case... ( I know that was cheesy... but just go with me XD )

Hope you liked it!!


	6. Not So Easy

To those of you that are still with me reading this... THANK YOU SO MUCH! Here is the much anticipated (or so I hope) chapter 6!

EDIT: OH GOD. I posted the wrong version at first. Here's the better one.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

* * *

Mei Kimiko darted behind the cover of the leaves in the tree just as Rukia walked away, heading back toward the Gotei 13 offices and eventually her own squad. As soon as she was far enough away, Mei looked down through the branches at Ichigo. Leaned up against the trunk of the neighboring tree, he was sinking into the coolness of the shade with a trademark smirk on his face. Mei stifled a growl, as much angry with herself as the raven-haired girl he seemed so attached to. She could clearly see how his eyes mistily clung to the retreating figure of the petite shinigami, lost in thoughts that contained her face. She loathed the fact that she was not the one walking away with his eyes on her body. Subconsciously, her muscles tensed in frustration, and her fists clenched. A sharp crack split through the air, and her eyes shot to her open palm where a twig fell, snapped clean in two. "Shit!" she whispered beneath her breath. Snarling, she mentally reprimanded herself for the noise, knowing full well everything depended on her stealth. She had to keep quiet.

She leaped a bit higher up into the tree, landing soundlessly onto an upper branch under the stealth of the wind rustling the leaves around her. The cool breeze ruffled her sleeves and her bangs whipped around her bitter cerulean eyes. She let her gaze fall and soften on Ichigo's delicious body. His chest muscles were exposed through the part in his uniform, his tanned skin slightly damp with a sheen of sweat. His chest rose and fell with each breath he took, soaking in the moment of relaxation and the air brushing and cooling his skin. Mei licked her lips and shot a vicious glare at the back of Rukia's head. "_Damn that girl, whatever she is," _Mei thought bitterly.

What irked Mei the most was that she knew exactly who this woman was, and had a pretty clear idea of what she meant to the strawberry lazying around below her. Rukia Kuchiki was more than just some woman: Winter warrior and infiltrator of Hueco Mundo. Heir to the noble Kuchiki clan. Fierce ice princess nearly executed. Vessel for Soul Society's darkest creation. Traitor and heroine. The shinigami who thrust her sword through Ichigo's heart...and inevitably the reason why he was here. It didn't matter how much Mei wished the woman wasn't as cozy with the man she had eyes for- it was something she could not control. Yet watching the entire scene unfold before her had been as infuriating as it was uncomfortable to watch. Two friends making kites together should have been boring for Mei to watch, but Mei knew that to call what she had just seen an activity between friends would be blatant naivete. Anyone with eyes could see the signs of deeper chemistry between the two, try as the both might to deny and ignore them.

Despite everything, Mei had tried to rationalize the way Ichigo had behaved around that girl. _"She's worthless,"_ she had snapped in her thoughts. _"He doesn't know any world other than the one she gave him. He doesn't even know what he's missing." _Yet no rationalization made her feel any better. The whole situation made her cringe.

_"How can such a feeble creature tug on the heartstrings of such a beast of a man?"_ Mei thought bitterly.

She watched as Ichigo stretched and yawned, his eyes tugged by sleepiness as he slipped into a lazy afternoon nap beneath the trees. Mei took in a calming breath and raised her eyes to the distant view of inner Soul Society on the horizon. This Rukia, the insignificant little bug that was occupying the thoughts of this man would soon realize she was not the only ones with sights on the strawberry. Mei's lips curled into a devious grin.

She didn't care if Rukia had long ago surpassed the level of power she had obtained, or the fact that she was a ranking officer of a squad in the Gotei 13. Mei was not the least bit intimidated. She swiftly leaped from the high branches of the tree and hit the ground on the balls of her feet, instantly springing into a silent sprint, powered by the wind at her back and the fervor within her soul.

Squinting against the sunlight, she smiled as she thought to herself, _"Might get a little rough, sweetheart, but I guarantee I'll walk away without a single bit of blame. No, you can't possibly blame me for putting up a fight. You'll only walk away sorry. Avoid the heartbreak, little raven-haired girl. Just get out of my way."_

Mei was not about to be bested yet.

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Byakuya's scarf hovered a brief moment, suspended by the swirling air around him before falling back to dangling tastefully against his shoulder blade. The air quivered around the captain who had just landed his last shunpo to reach his office from the outskirts of the Academy grounds. His red-haired lieutenant glanced up at him, his curiosity piqued enough for him to pause in his duties. He was particularly curious why his captain had spent so much time away from the squad since he left after his morning routine. As far as Renji knew, the noble didn't have any uppity things to do for the Kuchiki clan this particular day. He stared at him for a brief moment, looking at his stony face for even a hint of perspective. He was unrewarded, and with a huff, he diligently (albeit reluctantly) returned to his paperwork.

Ignoring his lieutenant's inspection, Byakuya stiffly walked over to his desk, letting his hand fall to the elegant wood with no thought to its ornateness or beauty. He simply wanted the feel of something familiar, to grasp something solid. He trailed his hand against the edge and wrapped it in his hand when he felt the tip of the corner push into his soft palm. He gripped the corner firmly, an action done a thousand times before. This had been his desk for a little over a century, a consistent piece of his life as head of the Kuchiki clan and Captain of the 6th squad. Letting out a calming breath, he walked around the side of his desk and sat in his chair. Today had been most frustrating; he could feel the tension working through his body. He took in another breath of air, slowly letting it out through his nostrils. He forced a wave of calmness from his head to his sandaled feet, and the tension eased slightly. Byakuya brought a hand lightly to his temple. His headache pulsed, as if to laugh at the obvious irony of his frustration with being frustrated. He closed his eyes. It was not as though he could not control the emotion, it was simply a matter of discipline. What irked him was that he was frustrated at all. The emotion was nearly foreign, a feeling he rarely found himself acquainted with. Yet there he sat, mulling over that particular feeling, trying to convince himself it was not an unwarranted reaction to the given situation. Unusual or not, everything Byakuya felt was purposeful or else he chose not to feel at all. This emotion, this frustration, however uncharacteristic, was trembling through his body. Everything he had seen that day had contributed to this moment. It was too much for him to ignore, even if he felt that to think upon the issue was absurd and a waste of time that he could spend in other ways. His resolve to dismiss it was meager, and his mind opened the dam of thoughts he had kept at bay for this time. He opened his eyes and stared at nothing, his thoughts occupying him too much for his gaze to remain focused on anything.

Renji squirmed over his paperwork as he felt a rapid heat grow on his back. Glancing cautiously over his shoulder, he peeked at his Captain, suppressing a shudder at the grey eyes boring holes into his back. He quickly diverted his own, opting instead to look at the tapestry on the wall in front of him. Renji could tell that he was not personally under Byakuya's penetrating gaze for any particular reason. Even if it was obvious his Captain was lost in his own thoughts, it still made him uncomfortable knowing his eyes were staring right through him. Any sort of direct look from Byakuya was intimidating. Renji shifted nervously again. He hated this feeling.

Still, despite the nervousness he felt, Renji found himself more curious than anything. Byakuya Kuchiki was not someone who let things trouble him easily. Even in the most grave situations, (where most would scream in panic) Byakuya's composure was striking. He nearly always remained hardened and collected, his steely visage truly something to be feared. Kuchikis all seemed to be like that. Renji definitely saw the similarities between his captain and his oldest and dearest friend, Rukia.

_Rukia._

Renji had almost forgotten. She was probably on that rendez-vous he'd help Ichigo set up with her. His spirit sank. Somehow thinking about her had struck a rather painful chord. As much as he wanted to be happy for Rukia repairing her friendship with Ichigo, he was completely jealous of how easily he knew she would begin to open up her heart to the orange-haired hotshot and not to him. Regardless, Renji had already decided he'd maul Ichigo to death if he so much as thought about doing something to harm Rukia. He could care less if it was his friend or how powerful he was. Sure, they guy could probably destroy Renji if he wanted to, but if he ever hurt her…

Renji loosened the fists he had unconsciously clenched and took a deep breath. If anything ever "happened" between those two, he'd put on a hardened mask and pretend to be happy. At least for a while. It was just too hard to let go of something he loved with all his heart. So many stupid things he'd done to try and capture her heart- a heart that would never be his. She loved him, in her own way. _"...but that's what makes it hurt so damn bad. She will always love me, but never in the same way she loves that damn carrot head, or the same way she loves her brother, as cold as he is. That freaking woman has all of us tripping over our own shoes. I can't blame anyone else for being as crazy as I am about her."_ As if a lightbulb clicked above the redhead, he suddenly sat up quite a bit straighter in his chair. With a single tattooed eyebrow raised, he glanced back over his shoulder. His captain was in his same rigid position, face expressionless to hide whatever was troubling him. Yet the "whatever" no longer seemed to be such a mystery to Renji. Byakuya had to be thinking about the exact same thing. The subject of his little sister was always a tender one, despite the cold indifference he publicly displayed with regard to her affairs. Yet Renji knew the hidden affectionate gestures Byakuya gave only to Rukia, the sister of his deceased wife. Renji's eyes softened as he finally was able to return a focused eye to his paperwork. _"Kuchikis," _he thought bitterly, _"Always reserving themselves behind some stupid barricade."_

Across the room, Byakuya grew tired of thinking. All these uncontrolled thought patterns tired him in ways he did not expect. Everything seemed a bit more complicated than he had originally thought. It irritated him. The whole situation did. It had all started when he had tracked Kurosaki's movements to the outer wooded area of the Shinigami Academy.

_No one accompanied him, for not a soul other than himself knew of his plan. He followed the substitute shinigami for reasons that were his own. As he had approached the area where Kurosaki rested, he cloaked himself in Kido. His low voice recited the demon spell easily, with simple mastery and confidence._

_"Bakudo number twenty-six, Kyakko."_

_The light bent around him, masking not only his visible presence, but his reiatsu. As much as he wished he could rely on the young Kurosaki's ignorance to not be aware of what was around him, he could not risk Ichigo suddenly sensing his presence. Walking closer, Byakuya gathered bits of spirit particles beneath his feet, using them to ascend above the grasses. Here he would have the best angle for observation. Standing tall, he simply watched. His grey eyes narrowed, harshly staring down, icy cold, on the orange head of hair. It amused him that he was not the only one observing the boy. He easily spotted the blond-haired Academy student, hunkered down in the branches of a nearby tree. A slight twitch of the eyebrow indicated mild curiosity; otherwise, his face showed no interest. It seemed as though this would be a waste of his time._

_His eyes grew uncharacteristically wider as he suddenly recognized the reiatsu of someone approaching. His sister. His reasons to stay increased tenfold. What was Kurosaki doing with Rukia? He glanced over at the other hidden onlooker. To his amusement, she narrowed her eyes and grinned, as if this had been what she was waiting for all along. This student was quite a surprise, whoever she was._

_He returned his gaze back to the unknowing pair down below, pushing the blond from his mind for better uses of his thoughts. It would serve his purpose better later if he kept his senses keen. He observed their actions, watching as the Kurosaki boy taught his younger sister to make something he remembered to be a kite. It did not bother him, not at first. What began as simple activity between friends soon looked nothing like it. It disgustingly bordered on a hidden tryst. Byakuya tensed when the boy wrapped his arms around his sister, in a way that was both reserved and bold at the same time. His mood worsened when both Rukia and Ichigo simultaneously blushed, heat rising uncontrollably to their cheeks. Pathetic._

_He began to grow frustrated. He clenched his jaw slightly. Rukia was behaving in a way he would never expect- a nervous schoolgirl, perhaps, but never the Kuchiki woman she represented. Yes, Kurosaki Ichigo had done plenty of things to infuriate him so far, but he was more angered by the actions of his own sister. Byakuya was taken aback. Rukia had never acted this way in front of him. He expected her to be somewhat different away from him, but never this._

_To his shock, her reactions grew more surprising._

"Well, you saw it, now do it… midget."

_To say he Kurosaki boy lacked couth would be an understatement, but Byakuya was not surprised Ichigo had insulted Rukia. Their bickering was normalcy, as strange as that was. Yet as Rukia stared Kurosaki down with a trademark icy glare, the corners of her mouth slipped into a grin he that truly surprised the elder Kuchiki. Her smile was sheer, unadulterated contentment. She was happy? Byakuya rarely ever saw such a display of happiness. He knew his adopted sister well enough to realize she was a woman with an incredibly heavy heart, one that kept her from allowing herself any sort of true joy. Such a raw display of emotion from Rukia… unnerved him in a way. What had Kurosaki Ichigo done to deserve such a precious thing? His tongue lolled in his mouth, suddenly overcome by a bitter taste. His face scrunched in a moment of disgust. "Tch, a wasteful display of beauty for a mere maggot," he lashed, using a great amount of self-discipline to keep his voice quiet enough to be unheard. He watched as the orange haired boy struggled to retain his concentration on the kite. Byakuya's eyes narrowed. Ichigo's hands fumbled, his speech cracked. It was simple to see he could not forget Rukia's smile. _

Yes, Kurosaki Ichigo was captivated by the Kuchiki princess; it was unmistakable. That did not mean that Byakuya was content with letting that stand. By no means whatsoever would he let that ignorant human soil the pristine Kuchiki name through his sister. Byakuya was beginning to loathe this boy- savior of the Gotei 13 or not- for what he was turning Rukia into. A blubbering, blushing fool! Spending moments away from her squad for this… this ignorant human boy who knew nothing of honor! The corner of Byakuya's mouth sagged, his rigid visage marred by the unbecoming frown. Rukia was a Kuchiki. His mind was set. He would not have her acting as anything other than the Kuchiki lady she was raised to be. He would see to it. Personally.

Rising from his chair, he rigidly stepped out from behind his desk and over to the shoji doors that lead to his own private meditative room. As he slid behind the doors, he ignored the flicker of curiosity in the eyes of his lieutenant.

The room was light and airy, with plenty of windows- nearly three per wall- to let in the sunlight. Each window was swathed by a screen, while hand-painted scenery graced the thin fabric. The fabric was colored a light cream, so that the softened rays of sunlight lit up the room in an etherial golden glow. A large scroll painting adorned the wall opposite the door, hanging delicately. Beneath it stood a low wooden table. Its surface and legs were polished and extravagantly carved with the figures of birds, nearly lifelike. They jutted from the wood as though they would take to the heavens at any moment, and their curved beaks and feathered wings were inlaid with silver and ivory. Atop it, a porcelain vase held a large number of cherry blossoms, where their falling petals littered the countertop and patches of the floor. The incense burner beside it tailed a steady stream of smoke, the fragrance of magnolia entwining itself with the flickering scent of the cherry blossoms. Byakuya walked over to the table and kneeled before it, taking in the multitude of sweet perfumes. He breathed deeply. This was his sanctuary of the moment.

_"Senbonzakura…" _His thoughts instantly called to the one soul he constantly reached for.

He picked up a fallen cherry blossom and inhaled its soft fragrance. He whispered into the velvet of its petals while his eyelids heavily closed.

"Senbonzakura…" His whisper rose in volume, his baritone voice now taking the air as the smoke materialized before his eyes. A swirling cloud condensed above the table, pulsing with energy and movement. As it slowly dissolved, a pale figure emerged from the mist. Bare white toes dirtied by clumps of wet earth stepped gingerly out onto the wooden surface of the table. The face of the figure peered out from the dissipating cloak of grey. Byakuya raised his deep grey eyes to meet those of the figure forming in front of him. He cleared his throat, his voice hitching with anticipation.

"I wish to discuss these pressing matters…"

_"You return to me, observant?" _ The soothing voice snaked through the air, a light alto melody. The lips of the figure's mouth pursed together and her pale eyelids drooped in languor.

"Yes."

An ornate, pink, kimono of brocade silk draped down to her feet. Multiple layers of expensive fabrics neatly hung atop each other. Golden threads embroidered into the intricate weave made a beautiful, soft design of white magnolias and golden lucky knot chords. Flowers of death, ropes of fortune. The bottom seams were dirtied with mud stains, like the toes behind them. Porcelain fingers reached from the cream silk-lined sleeves, and lacquered fingernails clicked together as hands folded together tenderly.

_"And?" _The voice called to him, soft yet demanding.

"I have a promise to fulfill."

_"Yes."_ The darkest eyes to ever gaze at the 6th squad captain cooly stared into his unwavering, searching soul. He stiffened, letting his eyes sink in her gaze. She never failed, she had always captivated her wielder effortlessly. As he sat frozen in her gaze, she smoothed her hair, combing the midnight-black tresses that fell down her back, carefully fingering around her flowered kanzashi (hair ornament). She sighed, perturbed.

_"Byakuya-sama, I'm disappointed." _The words trickled slowly from her lips, her tongue playing with the the titling. It mocked him. She feigned a pout before he spoke.

"What have I done to receive such disappointment?"

_"I can read your thoughts like a book, and I completely disapprove of your thinking. You loathe every inch of that boy, and yet you cannot remain steadfast in your intentions of what to do with him. I ask you to carve a permanent boundary line, and you scratch it in the sand without a care as the tide washes it away. You waver."_

"I do not waver. If I am your open book to read as you please, tell me what I think that is not becoming of me. Kurosaki Ichigo is something that must be dealt with. This I know. I must keep him away from the heir to the Kuchiki clan...and..." He paused as she gave a dramatic sigh of annoyance. "What is it?"

_"Think. You are of noble birth, superior intellect. Start acting like it. I've always had to push you, from the moment I finally revealed myself. You've always been quite weak, no matter how superior you think you are."_

"I don't believe that will ever change. You thought the same thing of Hisana. You saw nothing in her, except a woman about to break. I believe you used the words 'unworthy tramp' and 'filthy twig to be snapped between my fingernails.'"

A dark giggle chimed across the room, malevolently giddy. Byakuya winced internally, though his body never moved. Her laughter was sweetly sickening, enough to make his insides turn. _"She's not the point, dear Byakuya. He is. With such determination you vowed to kill him once for standing in the way of shinigami law. Yet it seems you made that vow with little word behind it. He's stepping all over your resolve, crumbling it like dried leaves in his fist, or an insect beneath his foot."_

"My resolve has changed. It never crumbled. This boy merely did what I could not to keep what was dear to Hisana alive and in my care."

_"What Hisana held dear? Oh my." _Her lips curled in a smile with hidden intentions. _"I suppose you don't find Rukia all too precious. The petty thing is a sorry excuse for a Kuchiki princess, and now she's being further tainted by someone who is far too willing to break every law and cross every line set before him."_

"That is enough! I care for her, and I promised to protect her. She has been accepted into this noble house, and you will accept her as nothing less than my sister and the female Kuchiki heir."

_"You betray your tradition with a female heir? How bold of you." _The sarcasm in her voice tangibly dripped.

"I have betrayed nothing. There are no rules against a female head. She leads well, fights without mercy, wields her sword effortlessly, has mastered much of the demon arts and holds her honor and Kuchiki pride in her heart. She will lead."

_"I spoke of tradition, not rules. Neither matter if she is unfit to lead. Her guilt overwhelms her heart. She does not have enough honor, and lacks a true sense of pride. She is no Kuchiki. A woman of inferior birth, with such a pitiful background."_

"Senbonzakura, I wield you proudly but your pride goes too far!"

_"Tsk, tsk. You have quite a temper. Wasn't it your grandfather who said that you'd improve greatly if only you didn't get so riled up? You were quite the hothead in your younger years." _She stepped down from the table and walked to one of the screened windows, her bare toes poking out from her silk kimono with each step. The fabric rustled and swished as she walked. Byakuya turned to look at her, the light from the window softly glowing through her figure. He could never trust her etherial qualities. Not when she could feel so solid. He turned his eyes back away, his gaze lingering on the cherry blossoms in front of him.

"I was a boy then. I think that I have learned to control my emotions by now." Byakuya's steely voice suddenly bubbled with a twinge of anger. Senbonzakura turned her face toward him, her eyes lingering on the back of his neck.

_"To an extent. You still have such a meager resolve. Your drive is admirable but without true decisiveness."_

"You always thought me weak."

She walked up behind him and lowered her painted lips near his ear. _"You are." _

Her breath tickled the hairs on his neck. Solid breath. He shuddered before changing the subject. "You are muddy again."

For the first time since her grandiose entrance, Senbonzakura frowned. The pull on her cheeks created light wrinkles in her otherwise ageless porcelain face.

"_I've been tending the garden. A few of the vines have become unruly_." She voiced the last word with emphasis, taking on an indignant tone.

Byakuya stared at her blankly. _Tending the garden_. His inner sanctum was a lavish garden. The plants that she tended inside of it were parts of him. Like the vines. They were his attributes, his traits, growth, characteristics. His soul, her kingdom. It did not surprise him she was launching a scathing attack on his character. She had always been critical of him.

"I am bound by my duty to my family and the laws of Soul Society. There is no action that is guaranteed the result that we seek. I will not lose my sister to anything other than someone of noble blood such as I."

A high pitched sigh dramatically escaped the female entity's lips._ "Silly Byakuya, you haven't delved into or even considered nearly all of your options."_

_"_I cannot kill him, nor can I go against the rulings that he will spend time here in Soul Society. I am required to train him, so I cannot simply remove his powers as a death god. I will not just as well forbade Rukia to see him. She owes him her life, and would never obey such a ridiculous request."

_"You are and always have been above the rules."_

"I cannot be. If the noble Kuchiki clan does not follow the rules, what shinigami will?"

_"Don't play high and mighty with me, Byakuya. Rules mean nothing to you. You broke them twice already. Once for that pathetic woman Hisana, and once for little ignorant Rukia."_

"Hisana was my wife, and Rukia is my sister. I owed them that."

_"You _owed_ them _nothing_. That girl is weaker than you are, a pitiful thing. She always needs someone watching her, like a child. She knows nothing about what it means to be a Kuchiki, and it's you who has failed to teach her that. She needs to learn, to be restrained, to achieve discipline, control, and power. Like I forced you to. As much as it pains me to admit it, wedding the silly girl may be the only way to get yourself out of the hole you have dug yourself into."_

"I loved Hisana and I would never force Rukia to replace her!"

The spirit sniffed loftily at the air and flashed her dark eyes through her midnight lashes.

_"Do you think I want to 'share?' I will not relinquish my control to anyone!" _She paced stiffly across the room, her kimono rustling as her feet padded across the wooden floor._ "Even if you married her, it would mean nothing in your heart, would it? You would still be mine. Just as you always will be." _Senbonzakura let out a laugh that held no mirth. Her finger toyed across her lips as her laughter hiccuped into low giggles before subsiding completely. Byakuya frowned.

"You think this amusing?"

_"Highly." _Her figure flickered as her ephemeral body drifted toward him. _"You're still the insecure little boy you were a century ago." _She walked over and tipped his chin with a single pale finger, her polished nail creating a dimple in his neck from the pressure. Her dark eyes pierced into him like a harsh gust of winter wind. She cupped his cheek with her free palm and the edge of her kimono sleeve brushed his face. It did not matter he could see the light flickering through her. Her hand was as real as the wooden floors beneath his feet.

_"There's so much you don't comprehend. Won't you ever listen to me, my Byakuya-sama?"_

The room spun. His vision blurred.

He wanted control.

_"No."_

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The drones of the classroom were putting him to sleep.

While the sensei rambled on about dates, clans, prominent figures, wars, and an endless list of events, he stared out the window. The shapeless wispy clouds and patched cerulean sky were much more interesting at the moment than anything uttered from the mouth of the sensei in the front of the room. He wanted nothing more than to be outside right now. His thoughts kept straying to the fact that he and Rukia would be able to fly kites later today. _"Well," _he grinned wryly, _"she'll try to. I'll probably have to help her out and we'll get into some yelling contest over something stupid." _The thought of them bickering was strangely comforting. Why, Ichigo had no idea. They were always, well, loud. Inside, it was quiet. Few noises permeated the silence in the air- the swish of brushes on paper, the infrequent shift of a student in their chair, and the ever monotonous tones of the sensei's voice- and yet he did not hear any of them. The only sound he truly registered was a persistent, annoying buzzing noise.

Slouching in his chair, Ichigo lazily dabbled his brush in the black ink on his desk. The brush felt foreign in his hands, which were more acclimated to the western pens and pencils he used more often in the living world. He glanced down at his notes. Worthless. How he had ended up in a history class, he didn't know. He _thought _that when he came here to study, it was to further his skills. Yammamoto had listed off all of the things he'd be required to do. Take kido classes- check. Improve his fighting abilities with specific stylistic instruction- check. Train with the captains- check. Allow squad eleven to study his skills as a Vaizard- no check yet, but that would happen later. History? Nope. It was nowhere on that list. He mentally groaned. It's not as though he didn't care, he did, to an extent. It was just that the history of soul society was incredibly long, considering the life span of a typical shinigami. Modern events seemed like ancient history to his human mind. It was boring.

Ichigo rested his chin in his palm, lazily propping it up with an elbow. His amber eyes drooped a little, unfocused and blank. He could barely keep them open. He gave in to the heaviness tugging on his lids, closing them just for a moment. Resting felt good…

WHAM!

His sensei crashed her hand on his desk, and he jumped wide eyed and looked at her.

_"Shit!" _he thought, clenching his jaw so he wouldn't curse aloud. _"Of all the places to fall asleep..."_

"Pay attention, Kurosaki. I would think that someone who is invested in becoming more than a substitute shinigami would need to learn." The sensei frowned at him, deep wrinkle lines accenting their furrowed brow and downturned lips.

"Yeah, sorry." Ichigo muttered incoherent insults under his breath, though directed at himself more than anyone around him. The sensei sighed and turned her back to him.

"Let's return to the lesson, shall we? So…the war with the Quincy clan began in the era of….."

Embarrassed, Ichigo ran his fingers through his hair and scratched the back of his neck. As if he hadn't done that enough recently. As much as he wanted this class to just end, he was stuck, but at least he had some sort of reference for the topic. His interest piqued, he sat up a little straighter, though his face remained expressionless. A few students (all girls) behind him snickered. Ichigo loudly released the breath he'd held in frustration, picking up his brush to take more notes. The giggling behind him chirped again. He glanced over his shoulder, and the three girls behind him flashed a round of flirtatious grins. Ichigo rolled his eyes and turned his head back toward the front of the classroom. The girls in this place were weird.

After minutes that seemed like hours, the class was finally dismissed. Ichigo eagerly gathered his things and checked the schedule he'd copied down earlier. He was briefly relieved to see he was done with classes only to come to a sudden realization. The words stared at him in thick black lettering.

**_Afternoon training with Captain Kuchiki Byakuya_**

He had forgotten. "Damn," he voiced aloud. Training with the captains. Wasn't exactly on the top of his list for favorite responsibilities during his month in Soul Society, but he didn't really mind the idea of training with each squad. It was the 'who' that angered him more than the what. His brows furrowed as he raised to pound his fist on his desk in annoyance. He had been lucky the past couple days, but his good fortune had apparently run out.

He roughly grabbed the rest of his stuff and sauntered angrily toward the door. His good attitude spoiled, he stormed out of the classroom in a rather sour mood. He hardly noticed that he nearly knocked over another student, but his mind was preoccupied. The one man in the world he had yet to earn an ounce of respect from would be ordering his every move, and Ichigo did not intend to enjoy a single second of such torture.

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With his petite vice-captain on his right shoulder, Zaraki Kenpachi leaned against the outer wall of the Shinigami Academy Academic Building just as classes seemed to be letting out. He scanned the crowd of red and blue uniforms and searched for the one obvious feature that set one particular student apart- his orange hair. The barrage of young hopefuls passed by, noisily gossiping and pointing at the captain, scampering off to training or their dorms to study. A captain visiting the Academy, especially unannounced, was fuel for serious gossip. The captain could have cared less. Zaraki huffed loudly. The orange haired brat was nowhere in sight.

"Ken-chan, did you find him?" Yachiru tugged on a fistful of white haori.

"Nah, he's not here."

"Hmm. Oooooh, I think I might know where he is," the little vice captain beside him chirped, "I think he's training with Bya-kun today."

"Damn, musta just missed him. Hop on, we're running to that stone-faced snob's office."

A sudden dirt cloud formed where the captain had once been, and a couple students shrieked and shielded their eyes from the upturned dust.

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The tall Ishida Uryu adjusted his glasses and brushed off his pants. He gathered his things and looked across his room toward where Orihime sat. He felt ridiculous. He caught himself looking that direction so often… hoping she'd be looking back. Grabbing his book bag, he walked over to the auburn haired girl. She stared out the window, her face blank as she toyed with a strand of hair absentmindedly. Her blue five-petal hairpins were in their usual place, glinting slightly from the sunlight streaming into the classroom.

"Orihime?" Ishida mentally chided himself for letting his voice sound so shaky. He just couldn't help it.

"Oh…hey!" Her distant eyes suddenly twinkled as she turned to him.

"We're the last ones in the classroom. Want to walk with me to lunch?" He held up his lunchbag.

"Mm. I'd really like that!" She nodded enthusiastically. "I made cucumbers with peanut sauce and strawberry jam today!"

Ishida smiled, unphased by her odd choice in cuisine. "Let's go."

The two walked silently down the hallway and through the doors that led just outside the school building. A bird plaintively sang from a tree nearby, and the two glanced upward. A small leaf fluttered by, grazing Orihime's nose. She drew backwards, wide eyed.

Ishida chuckled. "The leaves are starting to change aren't they?" He kneeled down and picked up the yellowing leaf. Glancing at her brown eyes through his glasses, he smiled and held the leaf out to her. "I like this time of year." Orihime took the leaf gently from his hands, blushing slightly at the brush of contact. Something about Uryu was different, and she couldn't put her finger on it. She beamed as he stood up and smoothed his trousers. "Me too!"

The two joined the rest of their friends in the grassy area underneath the trees of Karakura High School, each glad to fill their growling stomachs and take a break from the droning classroom. She was becoming happier, Ishida noticed. Tatsuki made fun of a boy in their class, and they all laughed a bit together. Ishida even chuckled himself, though never taking his eyes off of the girl he inwardly wished was his. Taking in her melodic laughter, he adjusted his glasses and watched as she giggled and spoke cheerfully without the burdening thoughts of a faraway shinigami. He engaged her in conversation about fabrics for dresses and the colors of fall. Little by little, he was slowly learning the gentility he needed to make her happy again. More importantly, Ishida Uryu was slowly discovering he had a chance to win her heart.

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Ichigo reached the 6th squad offices after a begrudgingly slow walk. He donned his academy uniform still, but carried Zangetsu on his back for the first time in several days. He stood in front of the sliding door, hand halfway reached out to open it. He sighed angrily. The feeling of annoyance pulsed over him. He had to keep his cool, at least just for the training session. Just as his fingertips reached the door's frame, it slid open on its own, revealing a looming figure. Ichigo's eyes twitched as he met the cool gaze of Byakuya Kuchiki.

"You're late."

The captain turned back around and walked over to his desk. Ichigo followed him in, trying not to spit out the biting remarks he was holding back. He stood across from the captain, stoically boring his eyes into the expressionless man. Byakuya turned again to face him.

"Explain to me the exquisite art of kido."

"What about it?" Ichigo replied nonchalantly.

"What _is_ it, you ignorant fool? Surely you do not mean to tell me you have been sitting in a kido class for three days and have not been able to derive a single splinter of information from it?"

"It's a way to focus my spiritual energy into ways of binding, destruction, and healing."

"A vague and general answer, Kurosaki, but expected." He glimpsed over at Ichigo, who was already burning with frustration. The orange-haired shinigami swallowed the insult on his intelligence and glared.

"Whataya mean, vague? It is what it is, isn't it?"

"In the most basic of terms."

Byakuya turned back to his desk and picked up a single book. "Follow." In a split second, the captain was gone. Startled, Ichigo shot after the captain, pushing off with easy speed.

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Zaraki grumbled as he reached the upper level of the 6th squad offices. The blurs of black and orange he had seen from a distance meant that he had been unknowingly evaded again. The pink cheeked lieutenant perched on his shoulder giggled. "You missed them again, Ken-chan."

"Yeah, yeah. The kid's busy with the royal pain."

Yachiru placed a small finger to her lips. "Hnmm.. Kenny, why do you want to watch his training so badly?"

"Watch? Heh, I mean to fight him again. I'm not patient enough to wait for that Byakuya to be done with him. Nobody is challenged around here anymore, and I've been itchin' for a fight for a while. Lead the way, little lady."

"Uh… that way!" A tiny finger pointed in the direction of the training fields. Zaraki would have to make due with seeking the pair out until he could challenge Ichigo himself.

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Ichigo was behind, but soon caught up just as he landed his last shunpo out in a training area within the sixth squad. Just meters away, Kuchiki Byakuya stood before him, holding the book and brushing off a bit of his already pristine haori. Ichigo snorted. Only nobles tried to keep things immaculate that were guaranteed to get dirty. Ichigo was definitely not that type.

Byakuya turned his attention from his haori to the object in his hands, not sparing a single moment to even glance at Ichigo, much to the other's annoyance. He flipped open the cover of the book and rifled quickly through the pages before throwing it at Ichigo, who bounced it around clumsily before catching it in his hands. Ichigo stared at Byakuya, perturbed and unsure of what exactly to do. _"Who the hell chucks a friggin book?"_

"Hmph." Byakuya stiffly paced a few steps toward his afternoon pupil. His cool grey eyes met the fiery amber ones across from him. "You obviously cannot remember what that is, although it should be _highly_ recognizable." Ichigo stared at him, possibly even more confused than he was just prior. What did the book have to do with anything? Textbooks had nothing to do with training as far as he was concerned.

Byakuya pulled a hand to his temple, feeling the pangs of a headache coming on. He would later blame the ache on the obvious idiot he was with. "It is your Kido textbook. How unbecoming."

"Oh… yeah."

Ichigo looked down at the book and eased open the cover. The pages fell open to the second chapter—what he'd been working on in class—beginning Bakudo and Hado spells. Why did his lesson with Byakuya have to revolve around his one current weakness as a shinigami? Ichigo groaned. Staring at the incantation for the ninth Bakudo spell, he began to remember what he'd memorized by mumbling through the words on the page. He practiced the incantation quietly, wanting to at least have something prepared for what he knew would come- hours of practice. As he rambled the incantation, he faintly heard Byakuya speak, but paid no attention until his body froze in place, a red glow surrounding him.

"Way of binding number 9: Geki."

Byakuya watched as the book fell to the floor, Ichigo's body obviously paralyzed by the kido spell. _"Damnit! Are you kidding me?" _Ichigo yelled in his thoughts. _"This is some sort of sick and twisted lesson, Byakuya." _ With the wave of his hand, Byakuya dissipated the large red orb that held Ichigo in place. Ichigo's body limply fell and hit the grass before he regained control, springing up with a pointing finger lunged at the captain.

"What the hell was that for?! You couldn't wait for me to finish reading, so you bound me without even reciting the damn incantation? I didn't know you could be such a _sneaky_ bastard!"

The captain's eyes narrowed. _Who is this maggot to point at nobility and insult someone of my stature?_ Ichigo's entire stature seemed to offend Byakuya's very nature. He sneered internally. "Advanced shinigami in the arts of Kido are able to utilize the spell without the lengthiness of the incantation."

"...the hell, Byakuya? That didn't answer my other goddamn question!" Ichigo could no longer hold in the repeating thought in his mind. "Why do you, of all the captains in the Gotei 13, have to train me in this subject? I'm a disaster in class, which I'm sure you already found out. It was too easy, wasn't it Byakuya, knowing you could _humiliate_ me under the disguise of training. I get it. You researched my only friggin weakness, and decided to completely school me in it! It's pretty damn sick!"

"That's exactly why I chose it." A ghost of a smile appeared on the rigid face of Byakuya Kuchiki.

"Is that right? You seriously piss me off, pretending you have nothing against me. Byakuya, you freaking coward, I'll show you humiliation, when I defeat you again!"

"This lesson has nothing to do with my personal dislike for you. I am a captain who is extremely advanced and well versed in the arts of kido, and in order to make you a stronger fighter and able to serve the Gotei 13, I chose to start at your weakest point- my strong suit. Don't be irrational and illogical; I thought you had more of a brain in that empty head of yours."

Ichigo lowered his finger and brushed himself off. "Whatever. At least you admit ya friggin hate me." Byakuya tapped his foot impatiently. "Did I hit a nerve? So sorry." Ichigo replied half-heartedly, clenching his teeth through the apology.

"You ought to be. Not only did you yell at a superior, you insulted my very principals, and addressed me in the informal."

"Fine. I apologize, sir." Ichigo bitterly admitted defeat. He didn't believe that Byakuya wouldn't enjoy watching him struggle with something he had mastered so easily, and that thoroughly ticked him off. However, he knew had to swallow his pride for a moment and struggle through in order to become the stronger man he wanted to be. Class just wasn't enough. How else would he excel in kido? It definitely wasn't gonna happen without a bit of tutoring. He petulantly wished there was someone else to tutor him, but at this point, he would take what was given, even if he did act a bit cocky and ungrateful. That was just him.

Byakuya's tension visibly eased. Ichigo rolled his shoulders.

"We will begin."

The next hour was long and tedious, spent memorizing and focusing on that simple bakudo spell. Ichigo lost track of how many times he repeated the incantation, but the sixth squad captain was fervent on having it be not only memorized, but perfect without any hesitation. _"Guess this is what having him as a captain is like,"_ Ichigo thought sourly, staring ahead at his target.

"Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini! Look upon yourself with horror and then claw out your own throat! Way of binding number 9: Geki!" Ichigo's outstretched hands spewed a harsh beam of red light, engulfing the target quickly and paralyzing its movements. It had been a lot more controlled this time, and he could feel it. Byakuya waved it a way with a single hand.

"Sufficient." the captain coolly nodded. "Expand what you've learned now, and try it on an attacking target. Prepare yourself." His fingers curled around the hilt of his katana. He drew it out, tantalizingly slow, letting the steel of the blade grate against the sheath. Ichigo clenched his teeth. It was total bait for his hothead personality.

"My sensei will be happy enough to see I can bind something without it backfiring. I want to move on to the Hado spells we're studying. We haven't done anything with attacking yet, and probably won't for quite a while."

"I said nothing of moving forward. You will do as I say." He pointed the tip of the fully withdrawn sword at Ichigo's head.

"I need to catch up, not skip ahead!"

"You will learn nothing new until you master basics. Now, GO!" Byakuya lunged at Ichigo, who pulled out Zangetsu as the clash of steel resounded above his head. Ichigo pressed forward with the blade, his sword shaking and grating against Byakuya's unreleased zanpakuto. He gritted his teeth, staring with a look of pure anger and defiance. The captain smirked cooly, shoving Ichigo backwards so his heels skidded against the dirt. An eyebrow twitched.

"Give me your zanpakuto, Kurosaki."

"Like hell! You lost your damn mind, captain?"

"You will never learn kido with that thing in your hands. You're going to be trying to paralyze me without your zanpakuto. You are over reliant on that giant piece of metal, and that weakens you. You will give up on the incantation and revert back to your reckless skills. This is the only way you will ever learn to use kido in combat. Forget your weapon."

Ichigo looked at his sword. His knuckles were white from clutching its hilt, frayed white wrapping whipping in the wind behind him.

"You really expect me to put down my weapon, and let you cut me?" A smirk tugged at his lips. Byakuya rewarded him with silence.

This guy was pissing him off. First, the damn guy works him like a dog to perfect one spell, then he forces him to use kido in a fight. Not to mention the better-than-thou loftiness the captain exuded with such persistence it practically slapped Ichigo in the face. Everything was painstakingly unnecessary, and now the stuck up captain was demanding he fight without his sword?! Ichigo's eyes widened at his curled fingers around the hilt. He'd never fought without his sword since he mastered it. It fit perfectly in his hand; it was an extension of his arms, his power, and its spirit resided in his soul. He couldn't picture fighting without it. He stared intently at the blade. A deep baritone voice resounded in his thoughts. _"Ichigo, you can fight without me." _Ichigo clenched his zanpakuto tighter. _"Shut up old man,"_ he retorted in his thoughts.

"I have no patience for your separation issues." Byakuya heaved an unpleasant sigh.

Ichigo squinted his eyes shut. "Will you just friggin wait one damn second, Captain Byakuya, sir?" He rolled the honorifics over his tongue, the sarcasm coating them as they finally left his lips. He didn't care if Byakuya was offended or his head, he searched for the voice he heard. He was sure Zangetsu couldn't lend him some power in this situation, and he had no intention of bringing out his inner hollow. He would have to fight without either of them.

"Enemies do not WAIT! Stab it into the earth, and run…Kurosaki Ichigo!" Byakuya began to charge.

Ichigo raised his hand into the air, and thrust his sword into the crackled earth of the training ground. "Fine!" Almost instantly, his image vanished as Ichigo shunpo'd behind the captain, crossing his palms and reciting the incantation as fast as possible. His eyes grew wide as the shining blade of Byakuya's sword whipped over the captain's shoulder at him.

"Sluggish."

Ichigo shunpo'd again, dodging out of the way just in time to land on the dusty ground of the training field. _"Damnit, how the hell am I supposed to stun him?"_ He tried to think back to his judo class. His sensei would be shaking his head. Just like shunpo, a zanpakuto was an asset, not a necessity. He instantly let his memories flow to his muscles. Judo, Kendo, Jiujutsu. He would fight with his body. He dodged inside the swing of Byakuya's katana and swiftly delivered a solid roundhouse kick across his cheek. As the captain slid backwards, he began to recite the lengthy incantation.

"Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini!" Ichigo's body watched his target regain balance and fly forward. Byakuya attacked, and Ichigo's kimono sleeve tore in the whir of the blade, and blood gushed from his arm.

"Look upon yourself with horror…" His elbow pressed down on the side of the blade, keeping it from tearing across him again, and his opposite fist launched out before his target shunpo'd away.

"…and then claw out your own throat!" Ichigo expertly kneed Byakuya in the stomach, anticipating his quick step away. The captain lurched, doubled over and gripping his katana for an attack. Ichigo responded instinctively, delivered a powerful side kick, sending the captain flying across the field.

"Way of binding number 9…" Ichigo flew after his assailant.

"GEKI!" His hands were crossed as he neared his target; a perfect beam ejected from his hands and froze the unsuspecting captain in place. He landed, watching the crimson orb encompass Byakuya Kuchiki with heavy breath and a wry smile plastered on his face.

"Not bad, not bad."

Ichigo spun around to a fist connecting with his right cheek. Kenpachi laughed, clapping halfheartedly as Ichigo got up a few yards away. "I didn't think you'd have it in ya without that sword of yours." He and his vice captain had made their way over, watching the small battle with fascination. Yachiru poked out from behind his shoulder and used her hand to sweep away the bakudo spell still holding Byakuya in place. Kenpachi tipped his zanpakuto over at Ichigo. "So when are you gonna fight me again, punk?"

Ichigo rubbed his cheek with the back of his hand. "Oi, Kenpa—" He cut off and his eyes grew wide. The tip of Kenpachi's sword was suddenly two inches from him, rather than two yards. Kenpachi's teeth bared a menacing and excited smile. Ichigo pushed the blade away from his throat and smirked. Kenpachi was looking for another fight. The bells at the tips of his spiky hair jingled as he put away his sword.

"Heh. I really didn't think I was gonna have to hunt you down, kid."

Yachiru leaped up on the top of Ichigo's head and did a ballerina-like twirl. "Ken-chan hasn't had a good fight since Hueco Mundo."

Ichigo laughed. "You mean to tell me that Noritorra put up a bigger fight than I did?"

The large man laughed in a low booming voice. "Dunno. Hard to compare since you've done a whole lotta trainin' since our first fight. You didn't even have bankai then."

Ichigo scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I guess that's true."

"Ken-chan wants to try fighting you with the scaaa~wy hollow mask," Yachiru tried her best to make a ghastly face, settling down on her orange-haired seat.

"Heh, I can definitely control that a lot more now. Who says I won't beat you now that I have that power?"

Kenpachi chuckled. "Kid, the entire fourth squad should be throwing a damn party over what you're gonna look like when I'm done with ya." He laughed, the chuckles wracking through his body, his shoulders heaving. He only began to stop when pale hand tapped his shoulder. The captain turned around to find a deadpanned Byakuya staring at him. A wide grin spread across his face. "Hey, Kuchiki."

"Do you really intend to disrupt my lesson _and_ refer to me in the informal? Picking fights that aren't yours, as always I see."

"Nah, I can see this ain't my fight. Just watching a bit. Though I wish you'd teach him some newer tricks so he'll be a better fight later."

"Newer tricks?"

"I never was good at Kido...hell, never tried. We'll see what fighting Ichigo is like when he adds that to his skills. Probably won't do much to help."

Ichigo's vein popped. "Shove it, Kenpachi. I'll be a big enough threat for you to have some real fun when I train with you."

Byakuya sighed, easily spotting the hook to get Ichigo riled up enough to leave the lesson for a bout with the other Captain. "If you don't mind, Captain Kenpachi, I'd like to continue my lesson with Kurosaki Ichigo. If you'd kindly take your leave-"

Kenpachi waved a hand to silence him. "Yeah, yeah, I'll scram. See ya around, kid."

"Bye bye!" Yachiru chirped as she jumped to Zaraki's shoulder, waving.

"Yeah, see ya." Ichigo chuckled. The last thing he needed was Kenpachi picking a fight when he could barely handle the combination of Byakuya's lessons and Mei's wrath in judo class. Not to mention Rukia would kick his ass if he missed flying kites with her. Oh, he was in for it these next few weeks. Ichigo could feel it.

"You passed your first lesson. We will now continue with your first Hado spell." Byakuya retrieved the discarded textbook and handed it to Ichigo.

"Alright, let's go."

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Rukia was finishing the last of organizing the hundred reports or so left to her when she heard her door slide open. Much to her surprise, Ukitake walked over to her desk within the barracks and casually plopped down on a couple of her seat cushions. She jumped from her desk, surprised at his unusual visit.

"T-Taicho! I apologize, I'm not quite done with the paperwork you requested and-"

Ukitake smiled and chuckled. "Kuchiki, that's not what I came here for." He waved a single hand in the air. "Please, sit."

Reluctantly, Rukia resumed her seat at her desk and immediately folded her hands into her lap. "So you came to see me, Taicho? How is your health?"

"More to talk with you, really. I'm feeling quite well today."

"Ah. That is good to hear. What would you like to talk about?

"I have something to ask you regarding your experiences in Karakura and Hueco Mundo."

"Oh." Rukia cocked her head slightly to the side. What did her experiences in Karakura or Hueco Mundo have to do with her duties in her squad, or her captain for that matter? She had filed a several complete reports, quite lengthy and detailed. She had covered every battle, every loss, everything she had done in terms of duty. She narrowed her eyes, pensive. Maybe it didn't have to do with her in particular. She began to smile. Maybe veryone was just curious about the other humans with spirit powers, like Ichigo.

"Do you want to know about Ishida, Chad or Orihime?"

"Ah, I'm afraid not Kuchiki. I wanted to know about _your_ experiences."

"What about them? Are there certain ones in particular?" Rukia chewed her bottom lip, beginning to feel nervous quite suddenly.

"Kuchiki, I need to know about what you experienced with Kurosaki Ichigo, the experiences you did not report. The bond you have...what exactly are you to him, or he to you?"

Rukia's eyes widened with shock. Where were these questions coming from?

"What? N-nothing, really. We're friends. We've been through quite a lot together. He...he's nakama. I suppose he's special nakama...in a way." Rukia's cheeks flushed as her entire body began to react to her suddenly becoming flustered. She looked over at a spot on the floor and started to twiddle her fingers.

Ukitake sighed. He didn't want to push, but he had no choice. It was for his subordinate's good.

"A warrior's tears are not shed for nakama, Rukia."

Her breath hitched, her throat suddenly constricting the air she so desperately wanted to gasp in. Her body froze.

_He… he knows?_

* * *

A/N- So, not really an IchiRuki chapter, but I had to advance the plot a little! *is shot*

Thank you again for all of you who are still reading this. My writing skills have improved a bit I think, so hopefully you'll still enjoy the chapters!

Comments, questions, reviews... I love them all, and I will always welcome any of them!


	7. Nobody Knows

Hello everyone! It took a little longer than expected to finish this chapter, but thanks to carrietheninja I was able to plod through it! Overall, I had lots of fun writing this chapter. I know I am teetering on having Ichigo and Rukia being a bit OOC this chapter, but I tried to keep them as true to their characters as I could. Anyway...enjoy!

Oh, and sorry it's a bit shorter than the last one *is shot*

Bleach is owned by Kubo Tite

Chapter 7: Nobody Knows

The False Valediction

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_The bond you have...what exactly are you to him, or he to you?_

She wanted to scream. She didn't know the answer. How could she?Her hands shook as they kept handfuls of her uniform in their white-knuckled grasp.

_A warrior's tears are not shed for nakama, Rukia._

That solemn thought repeated in Rukia's head until she felt the room spin. She drew her fingertips over her throat. She felt so dizzy, and she could barely breathe. How could she answer that question? Ichigo's heart had broken in front of her. "_Ichigo's tears… a fearless man's tears fell for me?" _She furiously shook her head, cursing silently when it made her head pulse with aching even further. She was asking herself questions she already knew the answer to. Answers _she _should have been the only one to know. Nobody had known… nobody was supposed to know. Confusion and chaos were taking over her mind. She couldn't stop it.

As if a dam had broken within the far reaches of her mind, the memories of it all suddenly flooded her, taking her over.

She could still feel that cold floor beneath her, and the empty feeling when she'd thought herself dead. She already was, but that didn't matter. Her soul had almost died… he'd probably thought he'd lost her. She remembered the shadow above her and the unsteady pelt of teardrops on her face. She could remember so vividly his face, his hand cupping hers around his cheek and smearing, no, marring his face with her blood. His glistening amber eyes had looked almost hollow. They were so void, empty, as if the fire behind them had been doused the moment he'd looked at her. He'd stared at her with such intensity. He had reached out to her in the only way he knew how, and that look in his eyes haunted her.

He had called to her, pain ripping through his voice. It had crackled and quaked through the baritone she was so familiar with. She could still hear him scream her name, a distant echo in her conscience. _"Ru...ki...a…"_

"Rukia."

A solid voice reverberated the air. It wasn't Ichigo's voice. The stern calling of her name brought Rukia out of her reverie, although the process of pulling herself out of her memories was hardly gentle. As the voice spoke again, she brought herself back to her captain as he spoke to her again.

"I _know_. I know about Ichigo's tears… what he shed for you in the battle against Aizen."

She quivered slightly as she looked up at her mentor. That was what she had been afraid of, and she loathed the fact that she was trembling. Kuchikis don't tremble. _"I look pitiful...pathetic." _Rukia clenched her fists. _"I have to do this. Proudly." _She had to force herself to remain stoic for the sake of her pride. Rising from her chair, she looked down and smoothed out the crinkles in her uniform where she had balled it into her hands. She turned her face toward her captain once more, this time robing herself in the cold rigidity of a practiced Kuchiki noble.

"Who am_ I_ to Kurosaki Ichigo, or _he_ to _me_?"

She picked up her soul's snow white companion, forged in a silvery steel blade. She drew it out quickly and held it before her. She studied her own reflection in its metal before bringing the flat end of the cold steel to her lips.

"I changed his _world_."

Her voice quivered only slightly, serving as the only indication that she was shaken. Her amethyst eyes pierced through the air, even as they swam in liquid emotion. She drew the blade away from herself and sliced it through the open air. Anger was brimming behind her steely face, itching to break through the facade in any way possible. As she spoke, it found its exit as she formed the words her tongue lashed from behind her teeth.

"I, Rukia Kuchiki, committed treason to create the unofficial savior and hero of Soul Society. With my own zanpakuto, I stabbed him with all the force in my body. I _burried _it to the _hilt_ in his _heart._" She roughly sheathed her zanpakuto to emphasize the last bitter sentiments in her statement. Her fingers left the hilt, gingerly, and hung by her hips.

Ukitake could not believe what he was seeing and hearing.

Her fingers lay deceptively still and lax by her sides, while her shoulders were square and tight. It was all a bit frightening, the ailing man admitted. Rukia could either stroll out for a cup of tea, or slice someone in half from her current stance. He hoped when she moved it would not be to do the latter.

"How _exactly_ do you wish for me to answer that question, Captain Ukitake?"

The man visibly tensed. He hadn't expected her to react this way. Her emotions had shifted so quickly from meek embarrassment to a rigid Kuchiki facade. Ukitake swallowed. Rukia was nowhere near as collected as she appeared. Just moments ago, she was so emotionally overwhelmed, she hadn't even heard him say her name the first few times. Her whole body had been shaking! Yet that vulnerability had dissipated almost as quickly as it had washed over her. Somehow, he had thoroughly pissed his subordinate off, and he had no intention of keeping things that way. He forced a jovial laugh from his lips.

"My, my. You are certainly looking like a cornered animal. Where did my subordinate go?" He coughed lightly and dabbed his mouth with a linen cloth, habit from frequently falling ill. He did not need to fake frailty to put a little guilt in his unseated favorite. He _was_ frail, and Ukitake knew it would naturally eat at her conscience. _"Usually I'd try and convince her to stop worrying! This is quite a predicament."_

To his relief, her stance eased a little. He smiled. _"Her eyes look a little less… forboding,_" Ukitake noticed, grateful her glare was nowhere near as harsh. Rukia was coming back to him.

He sighed. "You've never been so cold with your poor sick Captain before."

"I…" Rukia's face softened. Her facade crashed down all at once. _"I'm such a fool! What was I doing just then?" _She hadn't meant to be cold. She mentally chided herself for her little display. Who was she, acting as though she could overstep her superior? She had overreacted, unable to quell the panic that had surfaced itself through her steely charade. That was all it had been. A charade. Rukia let her body slacken, crumpling back onto the chair behind her. Her hands knotted together with worry. She sincerely hoped she hadn't offended the man she respected. She shamefully bowed her head and kneeled to the floor, bracing her fists on both sides of her body, much as she would address her brother.

"I sincerely apologize, Captain Ukitake! It won't happen again."

To her surprise, the silver-haired man touched her shoulder. She raised her head to find him smiling. "It's quite alright. I was worried you were becoming your older brother for a moment. I never knew you could explode so… icily." He chuckled lightly. "Maybe Kurosaki Ichigo is rubbing off on you a little?"

"Eh?! Captain!"

"Ah, excuse me. I only meant to poke a little fun." His grin fell a little as he became more serious. "I'm not trying to corner you, Kuchiki. I just thought as your Captain, and as the only one in the Gotei 13 who knows of this… that you would want to talk about what happened."

"Y-you're the _only_ one who knows?" Rukia's eyes were glassy as she gulped and tried to hold back her melancholy relief. Ukitake couldn't really blame her. He probably would have felt the same way in her situation.

"Other than Urahara Kisuke, yes."

"Urahara? Why does the shopkeeper know?"

"He was actually tasked with organizing surveillance of the Hueco Mundo infiltration. Being the devious man he always is, he reviewed all of it before forwarding almost everything to Soul Society."

"I can't believe it. He _watched_ and then left...Ichi...my… that _part_ out."

"He was kind enough to recognize that particular moment would be sensitive to both you and Kurosaki. He kindly asked me, as your captain, to keep that particular bit."

Rukia slowly digested the information, overcome by its bittersweet taste in her mouth. She shook her head again, forcing out any remnants of helplessness from her face as she gathered her strength.

"Does Ichigo know about this?"

"No."

"Captain, why did you tell me this?"

"I already told you."

"Captain..."

Ukitake gently smiled. "You're my subordinate."

"That's not a very good reason," Rukia mumbled to herself.

"I know it isn't. The reason does not matter. You should think about this, or at least what it means for you. Talk to me when you are ready. Maybe spend some time with Kurosaki to figure things out..."

Rukia blushed. "I can't!"

"It could help you make up your mind, or sort out your feelings."

"I don't need to figure out my feelings, _they_ don't matter! I especially can't go running around with a human academy student! Not when I have so much to do. I have a duty to my squad, to my clan, and to my brother. Besides, he irritates me!"

Ukitake chuckled. Somehow, her frustration was cute, in a way. Ukitake couldn't help but feel like a fatherly figure, trying to coax her and protect her at the same time. "Leave the papers for tomorrow, and go spend some time outside and clear your head. Fresh air will be good for you; it does wonders for me. As for myself, I'm going to send Kiyone and Sentaro off on an errand, go take a walk by the koi pond and have a relaxing cup of tea. Something with jasmine."

Ukitake smiled at the prospect of having a quiet walk and good tea. It would be very relaxing indeed if he could manage to send his noisy 3rd and 4th seats away.

Rukia smiled. This was just the dynamic she hoped she would always have with her Captain. He was a good-hearted person who she felt really respected her for her abilities rather than her history. He didn't care what district in Rukongai she had come from or what her adopted noble family name was. He opened his heart to those who served beneath him and protected his squad members. She was his subordinate, just like he said. _"I have too many brotherly figures,"_ she mused, barely keeping herself from rolling her eyes.

Rukia rose from her chair and gathered the forms she had completed. She would make sure she had at least turned in what she had finished before she sought a way to amuse herself. Duty before disport, as she had been taught rather dryly by her older brother. When her captain finally left, she glanced out the window. It was just an hour or two past noon. Sighing heavily, she found herself grateful that it was still early in the day. She did have a _few _feelings she needed to sort through… at least before the next few hours rolled past.

Later this afternoon she would meet Ichigo again, and she needed to be able to face him in the same way she always did. It wasn't yet time to fly kites, and she had plenty of time to kill. Rummaging in a nearby box, she happily pulled out a Chappy manga and flopped onto her futon.

At least her favorite character would take her thoughts off of the strawberry for a while. She turned the page eagerly only to find herself re-reading it several times.

"Or not…_" _she voiced aloud. Groaning, she flopped back onto the flimsy standard-issue futon.

"Idiot. What am I supposed to do with you?"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ah, Kido hell was over.

After finishing a thoroughly engaging lesson with Byakuya, Ichigo felt disgusting. His body was soaked. The cloth of his academy uniform clung to his skin, the sweat from his body turning the white fabric slightly transparent. His hair was wet and plastered to his forehead, glistening beads trailing down from his scalp. He licked a sweat droplet that slid down to his lips. It was salty and dirty tasting. Nasty.

He didn't think he smelled wonderful in the slightest. In fact, he was pretty damn sure he _reeked._ A nice soak would do wonders for his hygiene as well as his muscles. They were aching, and he also sported several painful gashes across his torso and arms. He looked down at his ragged and dirty academy uniform. Maybe he'd need another one of those, too… and this time in the right color. "None of that red, girl-colored bullshit," he mumbled beneath his breath. He'd had enough of that practical joke Mei had pulled. Coiling his body, he sprang into the air, flash stepping to a place he knew he could soak with both privacy and peace of mind.

Yoruichi and Urahara's "playground," as they had called it.

When he reached the cave on the edge of Soul society, he looked at the entrance with appreciation. It had been here that he had strove so hard to achieve power to protect. He'd achieved bankai inside these rugged walls. Now, he was back in the same place once again, striving to obtain more. He walked deeper into the cave until he found the massive training grounds, fully equipped with open space and a healing hot spring. It would be perfect. He rested Zangetsu against a boulder and began to pull his torn sleeves off of his arms. His upper torso finally bear of the clinging material, he turned to head toward the hot spring.

"Ah, Kurosaki-san, nice of you to join us!"

Ichigo tripped over a large rock as he spotted a very recognizable shopkeeper lounging in the spring, green and white striped hat hanging low and shading his mischievous eyes. The rest of his clothes were strewn about the rocks around the spring. Next to him, a very naked tanned woman with violet hair sunk into the steam, the water level barely covering her ample bosom. Ichigo turned tomato red in color.

"U-Urahara? Yoruichi?"

"Yo, Ichigo." Yoruichi flashed him a Cheshire grin. "Still acting like a virgin boy, as always."

"Sh-shut up!" Ichigo crossed his arms, huffing as he let them hang on his chest. He flicked his eyes toward some undefined rock formation. Anywhere except at Yoruichi.

Urahara chuckled at him. "Please, please. Don't let my little kitten deter you from getting in with-OW! Yoruichi that hurt!" He rubbed his upper right shoulder, a dark red mark of abuse emerging on the skin.

"Kisuke..." The tanned female shot the blond a deadly look. The single word was low and warning. "Don't call me your little 'kitten.'"

"Hai, hai…"

Urahara shifted his hat further back onto his head, sighing happily. "You should feel the water, Ichigo. It's quite nice. Healing."

"Not with your crazy bare ass in it." Ichigo scowled.

Yoruichi laughed at him. "Your loss. You look like shit."

"I came here to use the spring to heal up from training with Byakuya, but I didn't think you two would be in it. Whatever happened to hanging out in the living world?"

Yoruichi shifted in the water, chuckling when the color returned to Ichigo's face. "Got bored."

Urahara lifted his arms out of the spring and rested them on the rocky sides. "We came here to spar, just like old times. Nice to know that it still has the purpose we built it for."

"Well, isn't that nostalgic and wonderful for you two?! I'm out of here." Ichigo ran a hand through his hair and grimaced at the sweat that wet his fingers. He would have to shower in the Academy dorms, and tough out the injuries. He might be able to convince Hanatarou to heal him later, if he was lucky enough to find free time. He turned from his two mentors and walked toward the tall ladder that led up from the cave.

"Hey, Ichigo."

He looked over his shoulder to find a towel-wrapped (to his relief) Yoruichi standing with folded arms.

"Yeah?"

"Stay for a minute. You're gonna want to talk to Kisuke."

"About what?"

"Kuchiki Rukia."

Ichigo turned his eyes back away from her. He sighed loudly. He could already tell what this was about, and was tired of this conversation already.

"What about her, Yoruichi? Is this about the rest of my friends, Renji, Chad, and Orihime, too? What about Ishida?"

"This isn't about your friends Ichigo. This is about you and Kuchiki."

"She's my _friend_." Ichigo tensed. Just where the hell were they going with this? Angry, he shook his head. He already knew the answer to that question. He spun around to face them, his eyes narrowed. "She's my _best _friend. There is no 'me and Kuchiki.' You should _know_ that."

Yoruichi sighed, snatching her discarded clothing before narrowing her yellow eyes at him.

"Kisuke, he's all yours. Good luck."

"But Yoruichi… won't you pleeeeease-" Urahara's whining was cut off by his gurgling, his face shoved into the water by a tan foot.

"No, I'm not gonna stay and dress here. You have something to do, yeah? Damned pervert." A small ripple of air and upturned dirt, and she was gone.

"Pah!" Urahara whipped his head up from the spring, sputtering and flailing to replace his infamous hat in its proper place- soggy though it was. Ichigo stared at him, trying to muffle a snort. He had to admit, those two together were hilarious to watch.

"Sorry about that, Kurosaki-san."

"Whatever, Sandal-hat. I want to know what the hell you guys are going on about."

"Please, sit in the spring and I'll explain everything."

"Like I said before, with your bare ass? Hell no."

"I assure you, I am clothed. See?" Through a lopsided grin, Urahara raised a leg out of the water, the black fabric of his usual pants hanging from his calf.

"Alright. I'll get in."

Ichigo felt instant relief as he lowered himself into the familiar warmth of the spring. At least if he was going to sit and endure a talk he didn't want to have with Urahara, the spring's healing properties would ease his physical pains.

"Kurosaki, there is something I've been meaning to ask you." The changes in Urahara's demeanor were instantly apparent. His voice was low, his tone serious. _"Why the hell he'd be so damn serious about something that isn't happening between Rukia and I…I don't have a freaking clue,"_ Ichigo thought. Just to make sure , he prompted his mentor.

"About Rukia?"

"Yes. Before I do, however, I need to back up and explain a few things."

"Fine." Ichigo closed his eyes and lowered himself deeper into the spring, the water level bobbing up and down against his chin. He was only half-listening. He'd had this conversation before with Byakuya, and he'd be damned if he had to explain himself to every soul with a _hint_ of reiatsu that Rukia Kuchiki was not some crazy love interest of his.

"Do you remember what I did during the war with Aizen?"

Ichigo huffed. No brainer. "You built the false Karakura town, opened all the ways to enter Hueco Mundo for the infiltration, and aided Soul Society in understanding the Arrancar."

"Bingo!" Urahara grinned proudly before reverting to his more somber demeanor. "I also had one more task: to surveil everything that happened in Hueco Mundo, and to relay that surveillance to Soul Society."

"What does this have to do with Rukia?"

"My surveillance captured every single event that happened in Hueco Mundo, down to the last fight with Aizen."

"Congratulations. You did your job?"

"Kurosaki, I saw everything… _tearful _though some moments were._"_

Realization chilled Ichigo's body, like the trickle of ice through his veins. His heart began to pound rapidly as his eyes opened in shock. _"Tearful? Oh shit… he couldn't mean… There's no way he recorded that. He didn't see…did he?" _Ichigo's mind panicked. Nobody was supposed to know. Not about this. Yet what exactly could he do if his mentor knew?

"Kurosaki, I specifically did not forward on one particular segment. Simple splicing hid the short video I believed that you and Rukia would not want all of Soul Society to see."

So he knew. _"Shit, shit shit! This can't be happening!" _Ichigo's thoughts were racing and desperate. He wanted to remain calm on the outside; he didn't want to be seen as weak. Yet there really was no point in hiding it, even if he wanted to. More than anything, he wanted this not to be happening. How _could_ it be?

"I believe you know what segment I am speaking of."

Ichigo rose from the water, the heavy water droplets weighing his hair down and shading his eyes from view. While he voiced nothing, rivulets of water formed zigzags across his skin, their slow trickle disturbed by the the tremulous quaking of his muscles. The rapid rise and fall of his broad shoulders, the jagged twitch of his bony fingers...the strained lines in his neck and hard grooves in his cheeks from the clench in his jaw- all spoke for him. Nobody could mistake that in that moment, Kurosaki Ichigo was not pleased.

Urahara shifted his sitting position within the spring, readying his muscles for a physical outburst that would not surprise him. The rhythmically random, syncopated _plop plip-plip _of droplets hitting the water were the only noise. Yet Urahara knew well enough that the near silence was filled by viscid tension. He was in quite a situation, but he had well planned for the rage he could see rising from Kurosaki's pores. All possibilities considered, he was most curious which approach the boy he considered his pupil would take.

"You sick bastard..."

Urahara's face remained expressionless. The insult did not phase him in the slightest. He was still waiting for Kurosaki's real wrath, and if he was patient enough, it would come.

"Rukia and I are not here for your sadistic, perverted entertainment. We're not a stupid movie you can watch as many times as you want, or the pieces of a board game for you to play with!"

Urahara's mouth ghosted a smile as he draped a towel around his neck. That his pupil should find him a demented, conniving pervert amused him. Yoruichi would usually side with that thought. Although, she had other reasons to think that way… and that thought alone was enough to make him chuckle.

Ichigo fumed. Was Urahara laughing at him? The asshole wasn't even taking him seriously! Trudging through the waist-high water, he roughly grabbed the towel around Urahara's neck and tugged it forward, forcing his mentor to look him in the eye. He wanted to know what was going on, and now.

"Stay out of our damn business, or I'll make you regret it."

Urahara's smile grew. "So, cute little Rukia does mean something to you?"

"Are you stupid? She's my best friend! I've risked my life to save her from being executed, if you've forgotten." Ichigo growled. He wasn't getting anywhere, and was getting frustrated with the lack of progress. He narrowed his eyes. Time to cut to the chase.

"Why?" The question was clipped and cold, the lace of feral undertones the only emotion in the single word.

Urahara shrugged it off with a smile. "Because I can."

"Lying bastard. I know you've got cards up your sleeves. What were your intentions when you did it? You wanna blackmail me? Huh? Do you just want me in your debt? Is that it? I wanna know what you're not telling me. So, spit it out, damnit!" Ichigo choked up his grip on Urahara's towel, jerking the man forward for added effect. He grudgingly resisted the urge to shake the man unconscious.

"What reason would I have to hide something from you? I was honest about keeping it, wasn't I? I'm withholding it from Soul Society, Kurosaki, not you. You could say that I did it out of sympathy. I was worried about you and Rukia."

"I don't believe any of that for one second, especially that you were _worried _about _her_."

"You think I don't care about Rukia-chan? I'm offended."

"It's not like you've _ever_ cared about her well-being before! You hid the Hogyoku, your dangerous invention, _inside _of her, and didn't even think of what it could do to her soul! Then, for your own selfish reasons, you gave her that gigai that could have taken everything she'd worked for away from her! You wouldn't have cared if she'd lost her shinigami powers completely! What the hell gives, Sandal-hat?"

Urahara sighed. Now this was interesting. He never expected Kurosaki Ichigo to pull those incidences into his hothead arguments. It was all quite amusing. Urahara fought the laughter that pulled at his cheeks, his teeth flashing through the grin that barely held back the urge. This was too much fun.

"Why would I want to hurt your precious Rukia?"

"Shut up. I'm the one asking the the questions here."

"You have the wrong idea, Kurosaki-san. Your imagination is a little-OOF!"

Urahara's face contorted as he grunted through the pain from being shoved into the rocky sides of the spring. Through his squinted eyes, he saw his pupil wading away from him. Groaning, he rubbed the abused part of his back. It wasn't too painful; it was more of a surprise. Sighing once more, he closed his eyes and adjusted his hat on his head. He was going to have to change his approach. With Ichigo like this, there was no way he could talk some sense into him. Not before he calmed down. A light clattering noise ruffled the air, and a breeze whooshed across Urahara's face. Just what was his pupil doing? When the shopkeeper opened his eyes, he sucked in a small breath and held it.

Well, _this _was unexpected.

The world around him blurred as his eyes strained to focus on his surroundings, his vision thrown off by the large blade inches from his nose. As his eyes focused in on the tip, the blonde was left stunned and cross-eyed from the close proximity of Ichigo's recognizable weapon.

Ichigo stared down the large blade with a narrowed gaze. The frayed tail of the white wrapping dabbled the water of the spring, and water droplets chased each other from his arms to the steel side of his zanpakuto. The steam swirled around him as he gingerly tapped his stores of reiatsu. _"Easy does it,_" he cautioned himself. No need to let all of Soul Society know what he was up to. He also didn't want to actually _hurt_ Urahara, but he definitely wasn't past threatening the man a little. This was _his _interrogation, and he wanted answers. Now was his chance.

"So you saw what happened between Rukia and I. I don't give a shit what you think, or what you felt your duty to whoever was when you decided to hide it. I'll get your reasons out of you, no matter what! You'll tell me what you're hiding. I'm not gonna give you the chance to hurt her."

"Fair enough. So I didn't do it for cute little Rukia."

"Tell me something I don't know."

"I didn't do it for myself either. I don't really get anything out of it."

"Bullshit."

"Okay, I got a little out of it." Urahara shifted, and Ichigo inched the blade closer.

"Keep talking."

"Nobody told me to do this, but…"

"But what?"

"I knew I could do something with it once I saw it. So I spliced it."

"What are you planing to use it for?"

"I'm not necessarily _using _it per se…"

Ichigo shook with anger. Each time he thought the shopkeeper would finally come clean, the man started dancing around his questions. Enough was enough. He pushed the blade closer, and watched as Urahara's adams apple bobbed dangerously close to the tip as he gulped.

"My, my… you're serious." The shopkeeper no longer smiled. After a breath, he continued. "I originally did it because Soul Society would give you trouble for it. I couldn't have them giving my favorite pupil trouble. As an afterthought, I found the situation all too interesting not to tell somebody about it."

"Damnit Urahara! You made it sound like you were the only one who knew! Who'd you tell?"

"Captain Ukitake, and a dear friend of mine I trust not to divulge this little bit of information."

"Why would you tell Ukitake, and who the hell is this second person?"

"Ukitake is Rukia's captain. He had the right to know, seeing as he's her primary fatherly figure. Byakuya's too cold and traditional; he never would have understood the situation. Am I right in that sense, Kurosaki?"

"Okay, that makes sense. I just… she doesn't need to know."

"What makes you say that?"

"I thought I told you I'm the one asking the questions."

Urahara smiled as he tipped his head, his dark eyes barely twinkling beneath the shade of the brim. "So you did."

Ichigo scoffed. "Who's the friend?"

"Nobody of consequence."

"Don't try that with me. I need to know."

"It's an old crazy friend of mine. Quite excitable, I might add. He's been hiding out from soul society for longer than I have, so it's not as though he's in contact with many shinigami, and very few even know about his existence. He's hid himself well, considering that massive amount of reiatsu he carries. He's suppressed it for years. The scruffy dog isn't gonna tell anyone. Who would he tell about two young shinigami who are in constant denial of their feelings for each other?"

"Fine, but there aren't any feelings! There's nothing to deny!" Ichigo let out an exasperated sigh. How long would he have to beat it into people's heads that he and Rukia were not lovers playing cat and mouse? Ichigo shivered at the thought. The idea was disturbing.

Urahara pushed the side of the blade away from his throat. "I meant no harm. You deserved the right to know about it. So now you do. That being said, now that I've kept it from Sereitei, you need to do something about what's going on between you and Rukia."

Ichigo hoisted the sword and rested it on his shoulder. "Whatever. My cue to leave." He looked down at his body, flexing his muscles. Just a bit of soreness. He was thankful he'd stuck it out in the spring. Now he needed to change before he saw Rukia. Even as he walked, he was lost in thought. _"This has been crazy. People know about that incident, and I don't even know what it was! Everything is so confusing. How am I going to face you now, Rukia?" _he thought. As he headed for the ladder, he paused as he heard Urahara's voice.

"Don't hesitate, Kurosaki."

Ichigo flicked his eyes over his shoulder at the shopkeeper, still lounging in the spring. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Even from afar, he could see Urahara's grin as he spoke. "He who hesitates is a damned fool."

"Always with the riddles," Ichigo muttered. He hauled himself up the ladder, Zangetsu bouncing against bare back with each step upwards. He would have plenty of time to get ready and, as much as he needed it right now, to think.

As his pupil finally left, Urahara picked up his cellphone under his white jacket behind him. He quickly dialed a number, and pressed the phone to his ear.

_Riiiing. Riiiiing. Riiiiing. Riiiiing. Riiiing._

_Thanks for calling the Kurosaki family clinic! Isshin Kurosaki is off to take care of his lovely daughters and son, and can't take your call, so pleeeeeease…_

Urahara flipped the cell shut and chuckled. The voicemail never ceased to amuse him. No matter. He'd try him again later.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Walking down the sidewalk, Orihime couldn't help but hum an unrecognizable peppy tune. Her happiness just couldn't be contained, radiating from the bounce in her step to the bright singsong melody that buzzed from her lips. It was the weekend and the weather was too gorgeous to be sour. Not to mention, she was meeting her friends for shakes before the weather got too cold for the chilled beverages to be enjoyed any longer. It was rare her school friends could all get together anymore (excluding Ichigo, since he wasn't in the living world), and she would enjoy the opportunity to simply spend time together.

As she approached the shop, Tatsuki waved at her from the windows. She beamed, gleefully waving back before rushing to the door to join her.

"Hey Hime."

"Good afternoon, Tatsuki! Is anyone else here yet?"

"Not yet. Ishida said he would be a bit late because he has his textile club meetings on Saturdays."

"Textile club… that _does _sound like him," Orihime chirped, giggling slightly. Tatsuki smiled. Things were always better when Orihime was in a cheery mood, like today. She strolled up next to her friend, who was now glancing at the selection of shakes to choose from. Orihime's eyes were wide, her mouth slightly agape as she looked eagerly at the options. Her fingertip absentmindedly tapped her bottom lip as she cocked her head to the side. Tatsuki grinned. She looked rather goofy, but that was her Hime.

"What do you think you'll get?"

Orihime turned to her excitedly. "I think I'll get with the berry-berry milkshake when everyone gets here! Hey, do you think they could add bean paste and cinnamon to it?"

Tatsuki resisted the urge to cringe. She never got used to her friends strangely deviant tastes. "I don't think they have bean paste at a malt shop, but they might have the cinnamon."

After glancing at the menu a bit longer, the two companions found a large, rounded corner booth and awaited their friends. Slowly , they trickled in. Soon enough, the spacious booth was crowded, everyone eagerly chatting. Chad, Kiego, Mizuiro, Ishida and even the wild Chizuru had joined them. With everyone there, the table was roucus with conversation, bickering, and Kiego's whines of his bachelorhood. When the waitress stopped at their table, they each ordered a frosty shake to enjoy. In between sips, they carried on with their gossip, discussions over subjects in school, and the changing seasons. Before they knew it, the cold winter would take over Japan and blanket Karakura town. That was still a few months off, but it did not prevent the group of friends from idly chatting about winter vacations in the same breath as Halloween.

Orihime found herself withdrawing from the multitude of conversations and enjoying her berry-berry cinnamon shake instead. She was perfectly content listening in on what everyone else was doing, but she also found that she was not the only quiet one. Ishida Uryuu sat just across from her, more fascinated by the contents of his butterscotch shake than the people he sat next to. There was a sadness in his eyes, she noted, and he seemed to be uncomfortable in the cacophony of the people sitting beside him at the table. Orihime frowned and toyed with a piece of hair that had untucked itself from behind her blue five-petal pins. She knew that Ishida was quiet, but not normally _this_ quiet. Determined to cheer him up, Orihime reached for her small handbag and pulled out a pen. With a quick doodle and a short scrawl on a paper napkin, her message was complete. She slid the napkin across the table and smiled when she saw Ishida pick up the note.

Next to a messy sketch of a sleeping cat, the note read: _I'm bored too. Want to go enjoy the weather with me?_

Ishida looked across the table at Orihime, her smiled genuine and soft. He grinned ruefully at her and wrote a reply underneath her message.

_Didn't know I was so obvious. Sure, I'd like that._

Orihime nodded happily before clearing her throat. "Sorry guys, but I think I'm going to head out. Ishida-san, would you mind walking with me?"

Tatsuki looked at her, confused. "I can go with-"

Ishida waved a hand at her, cutting her off. "That won't be necessary. I'd be happy to accompany you, Inoue-san."

They excused themselves quickly to avoid any form of interrogation, leaving money to pay for the shakes before bursting outside into the cool autumn air. After they had began walking down the sidewalk, Orihime grabbed Ishida's arm and hugged it. "Ahh, thank you! I thought spending some time with everyone would be fun, but it was a bit too noisy... but the weather is nice!"

Ishida chuckled nervously and adjusted the frame of his glasses on the bridge of his nose, hoping he wasn't blushing (and knowing full well he was).

"Don't worry, it's n-nothing. What would you like t-to do, Inoue...s-san?"

"Maybe some karaoke?"

"I'm sure you have a lovely voice, but I myself cannot sing well."

"Ah, well then maybe we can walk to the park! You can tell me all about your textile club!"

"Are you sure, Inoue-san? I don't want to bore you with something you don't have interest in."

"Not at all! I'm sure you make beautiful things. Tell me about them, Ishida-kun."

As they walked, Orihime remained interlocked in Ishida's arm. She was a little surprised he had not removed his arm from her grasp, as she knew he wasn't exactly a touchy person. It was in that moment, that Orihime noticed something else. Rather than brushing her aside, Ishida's other hand seemed to be caught between inching up to hold her hand in place on his forearm and shaking nervously at his side. She blushed a little. Had he always been this way around her? They walked, content in conversation and soaking in the fresh air and sunlight . A light breeze rustled the thinning foliage, sending a light sprinkling of leaves that swirled in eddies of air around them. Orihime listened closely, genuinely interested in Ishida's involvement in textile club. She was not surprised to find that he was as talented in the craft of making clothes as he had demonstrated countless times in their history as friends. Yet she couldn't help becoming distracted for fleeting moments of time, taken with the details that had suddenly begun to catch her attention. She could hear the subtle quaking of his voice when she looked at him, and the way a subtle tinge of color would grace his cheeks when she smiled. His walking pace was slow, which was not any different. It was the way he walked beside her that had changed. No longer did he carry himself with a clear plan or purpose, but seemed to walk simply to enjoy her company. He rarely tore his eyes from her face, facing forward only to make sure they did not stray or collide with any trees or lamp posts. Such subtle details she had never noticed. Why were they coming to her attention now? How could she see them? Questions flooded her conscience that she could not answer. One thing, however, was crystal clear. Ishida Uryuu cared for her more deeply than she had assumed, and she had no idea how she felt about it.

Deciding to push aside her confusion, she chatted happily with Ishida about a flowered yukata he was currently designing. There was nothing she could do in her current state. She needed girl advice, and she had an idea of exactly who she would go to. For now, she would enjoy the weather, the weekend, and the man she was holding on to.

* * *

Alright, so what did you guys think? No Mei this chapter!! She's off deviously plotting things away from the spotlight. Plus, there's other drama brewing that has nothing to do with her at the moment.

So, did you guess that it was Isshin before Urahara picked up his cellphone?

Reviews are love. I love them. I'll give you love if you review!


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